

A BOOK OF GAMES FOK 
LITTLE CHILDREN- BY 

Irene E. Phillips Moses 



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RHYTHMIC ACTION 
PLAYS AND DANCES 



A hook: of original games and dances, arranged pro- 
gressively, TO mother goose and other action 

songs with a teaching INTRODUCTORY; FOR 

THE KINDERGARTEN, PRIMARY SCHOOL, 

PLAYGROUND AND GYMNASIUM 



IRENE E. PHILLIPS MOSES, B. L. 

( University of California ) 
Graduate of The New York Normal School of Physical Education 




MILTON BR AD LEY COMPANY 
SPRINGFIELD. MASS. 

1915 



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Copyright, 1915, Bv 

MILTON BRADLEY COMPANY 
Springfield, Mass. 



Stanbopc iprcss 

F. H.GILSON COMPANY 
BOSTON. USA 



MAY 12 1915 
)CU401056 



THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO ALL THE LITTLE BOYS AND 
GIRLS WHO LOVE TO DANXE AND SING, IN MEMORY OF THE 
LITTLE SON, WHOSE RHYTHMIC CLASPING OF HIS MOTHER'S 
FINGER INSPIRED HER TO DREAM OF GUIDING HIS FIRST 
RHYTHMIC STEPS IN THE MANNER HEREIN SET DOWN .-. 



Ul 



FOREWORD 

Physical Education in common with all other branches of the curriculum has been 
undergoing important changes with the adaptation of modern theories to the teaching of 
young children. Games and Folk Dances have come to occupy a well merited place in 
the child's education. Their successful use is largely the result of their strong universal 
appeal to the child in contra.st to the rather remote interest stimulated by formal gym- 
nastics. Under these circumstances Games and Rhythmic Action Plays are found to give 
a maximum of educational and recreative physical exercise. 

In arranging these simple games and dances the author has first of all endeavored to 
select such songs and actions as will give pleasure to the little children who play them. 
Should this aim in some measure be accomplished, the chief mission of the book will have 
been fulfilled. However, it has been hoped that the rhythms may bear some significance 
from an educational point of view by furnishing a drill and training which in a pleas- 
urable manner will prepare the small child for the more advanced Folk Dances. 
While the more simple Folk Dances are easily within the ability of children of the Kinder- 
garten age, their teaching involves a more or less irksome drill on the mechanism of the 
steps and the evolutions of the dances. By means of a carefully arranged preliminary 
training this rather tedious period of acquiring the necessary co-ordination can be made 
one of great pleasure to the children and comparatively easy teaching for the teacher. 
It is believed that the time spent on these simple games and rhythms will later prove very 
profitable. 

These little rhythmic Action Plays are presented to the public with the hope 

1. That the small dancers, after having enjoyed these plays, will go on with spon- 
taneous joy into the more advanced work, finding the transition to Folk and 
Aesthetic Dancing a natural and easy progression. 

2. That the plays may prove of value to the teacher who finds "starting the chil- 
dren to dance " a difficult problem. 

3. That they may help to fill the gap between the rhythmicTwork of the Kinder- 
garten, which is frequently somewhat disconnected and lacking in progressive 
arrangement, and the more formal rhythmic work of the Physical Education 
Department 

The author wishes to here make acknowledgment and expression of her gratitude 
to Miss Kate M. Saunders and Mrs. Louise Bohachek Rouse who, by encouragement, 
advice and assistance, have helped in the preparation of this book, and to Mrs. Mae 
Rehberg Scheuerman, to whom much credit is due for her intelligent interpretation and 
skillful adaptation of the music. 



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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Part One. page 

Chapter I 1 

Chapter II 

The Teaching of Rhythmic Action 4 

Part Two. 

Rhythmic Action Plays and Dance.s arranged progressively for teaching. (A 
list) 15 

Glossary 17 

Key to the Description of the Action Plays 22 

Chapter I 

Walking, ^larching and Running 23 

Chapter II 

Sliding 35 

Chapter III 

Knee, Hip and Ankle Action 51 

Chapter IV 

Hippity-hops, Skips and Jigs 67 

Chapter V 

Balance Step and Point Step 77 

Chapter VI 

The Step Hop 85 

Chapter VII 

The "Hop Waltz" 92 

Chapter VIII 

Sliding with alternate use of the feet 96 

Chapter IX 

Couple Dances and other Action Plays in which the Formation is Composed of 
Several Small Groups 107 

Chapter X 

Miscellaneous Action Plays 135 

Appendix 155 

Til 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLATS 
AND DANCES 



PAET ONE 



PART ONE 

CHAPTER I 

General Plan of the Games and Dances as a Course of Study. — The preparation of 
these games and dances has been, from one point of view, a purely mechanical task; starting 
out with a more or less definite program, the problem resolved itself into a search for suitable 
rhymes and music to assist in the expression, explanation and teaching of this course of 
study. The elements which it seemed desirable to incorporate in the rhythms may be briefly 
summed up as follows: 

1. The elimination of names of steps, counts and all straining to secure proper form 
by means of a conscious effort in that direction. 

2. The substituting of dramatization and imitation to assist in acquiring the desired 
form, using words instead of counts to accent the rhythm. 

3. A training in simple foot movements other than those involved in walking and running. 

4. The development of balance, accurate adjustment of the body weight and the 
sense of direction. 

5. The differentiation in the use of the right and left foot. 

6. A stimulation to knee action. 

7. A knowledge of the simple couple formations and floor evolutions. 

8. An acquaintance with the various tempi. 

9. The ability to execute foot movements in series of 2's, 3's, 4's, 5's, 6's, 7's, 8's 
and their various combinations. 

Mother Goose. — Many of the Action Plays now in use in some measure fulfil these re- 
quirements; however, there seems to be a demand for new games which shall prove attract- 
ive, in theme and spirit, to the English-speaking child. The themes of the Old English 
traditional games, with their kissing and love making, are in many cases such that they are 
not appropriate in sentiment for small children; and while the foreign singing games are fas- 
cinating in their distinctive rhythm, well developed and interesting action, yet the words often 
lose their jingle in translation. In looking around for suitable material to adapt to the couree 
of study mapped out above, Mother Goose has seemed in many ways the most natural source 
upon which to draw. The following quotation from a chapter on Mother Goose in Montrose 
J. Moses's valuable little book "Children's Books and Reading" is an eloquent argument for 
this adaptation and use of our old nursery I'hymes. 

" The melodies have a circuitous literary history. In round-about fashion, the 
ditties have come out of the obscure past and have been fixed at various times by 
editors of zealous nature. For the folk-lore student, such investigation has its 
fascination: but the original rhjTnes are not all pure food for the nursery. In 
the course of time, the juvenile volumes have lost the jingles with a tang of com- 
mon wit. They come to us now, gay with colored print, rippling with merri- 
ment, with a rhj'thm that must be kept time to by a tap of the foot upon the 
floor or by some bodily motion. Claim for them, as you will, an educational 
value; they are the child's first entrance into storyiand; they train his ear, they 
awaken his mind, they develop his sense of play. It is a joyous garden of incon- 
gruity we are bequeathed in ' Mother Goose.' " 

Although these jingles have come to us from many lands it can hardly be denied 
that in their present form they are English Literature. Their appeal is universal, their 



2 RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

chann defies analysis and we know before the telling that they will delight the small 
listener. And may we not say, that for vivid action and. strong accent of rhythm, these 
little classics are unparalleled? No argument is needed here for their introduction into 
the school curriculum; educatoi-s and children's librarians throughout the country are 
appreciating more and more the value of our old nursery rhymes. They are their own 
excuse for being. To start the child's formal rhythmic work with Mother Goose seems, 
in many ways, the most natural course. In most cases the child already knows these 
ditties and delights in their repetition and thus they may be utilized as the connecting 
link between the "known and unknown." These rhymes may be made to furnish the 
excuse for many repetitions of the action, for what child ever tired of repeating Mother 
Goose over and over. Their introduction as the theme of games and dances has many 
ai-guments in its favor. They are all short and yet sufficiently descriptive for dramatic 
action. The fact that the words are usually familiar obviates the necessity of teaching a 
large number of new songs. And we already have evidence of their popularity as game 
material in verses which have a traditional game element such as "London Bridge," "Mary 
Sits A- weeping," etc. 

As in the cases of the "Man in the Moon" and "Bean Porridge Hot," "A, B, C," 
and "Poor Dog Bright" it has seemed desirable to group two of the rhymes together 
into one game. While the actions were more or less arbitrarily decided upon before the 
games were arranged, wherever possible, a uniform effort has been made to make the 
actions the natural expression of the theme of the rhymes. 

Themes other than Mother Goose. — In order to make the course of study complete it 
was found necessary, in some cases, to introduce songs other than the nursery rhymes. In 
doing this an effort has been made to make the choice as catholic as possible. Mother Goose 
is lacking in nature study topics and action of contemporary interest. Many of the songs 
included in this collection are now in popular use in the schools. 

The Relation of Singing to the Play of Small Children. — Aside from the importance of 
the use of words to accent the rhythm of the dance there are other reasons why in nearly 
every instance it has been considered fitting that words accompany the music of these Action 
Plays. Children all have a tendency to talk to themselves while they play. The oft-repeated 
phrases soon arrange themselves into a sort of chant to be droned over and over. As long as 
play is individualistic this chant will change with the time, circumstance and mood of the 
small players. But when a pantomime play is adopted by a group, some formality is 
necessary and a certain order in the form of expression is evolved. In the visiting game, 
"I came to see Miss Mehitable Jones, and how is she today?" we have a good exampk^ 
of the half-way stage between the conversational form and the formal verses of such a 
game as "Round and Round the Village." Very small children do not enjoy nor com- 
prehend games with a strong competitive element which involve a contest between groups, 
their play being mostly imitative. The words of the songs give opportunity for mimicry 
and "make believe." 

The Music. — The selection of appropriate music has been a very perplexing and ar- 
duous task, as many conflicting elements enter into the situation. To be suitable for 
the present use the choice has been narrowed to such music as should fulfil these conditions: 

L Well accented rhythm. 

2. Bright and lively. 

3. The appropriate time, tempo and melody to fit the words and actions. 

4. Simple for children to sing. 

5. Easy to play. 

6. Tunes with a jingle and a "catch" which shall recommend them to children. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 3 

Much of the traditional music to Mother Goose is entirely unsuitable for this purpose. 
Left to themselves to choose, the children usually prefer the rhythms which are rather 
crude and monotonous as "Farmer in the Dell," etc. Frequently the reason for lack of 
greater success in rhythmic work may be attributed to the choice of music. May it not be 
that we adults make a mistake in our demands for the tuneful and harmonious, when 
what we really should loojv for is a bright jingle easily sung and played, and with a 
"catchy" rhythm that will make the kiddies' feet twitch to be a-skipping. We sometimes 
forget that the development of many little tots is only that which corresponds to the 
tom-tom period in the history of the race. We accuse some children of lack of rhythm, 
yet what child does not appreciate the sing-song of "Fraid-cat"? Perhaps, if in these 
cases we were to make the beginnings simple and slow enough, we could lead these little 
children out of their barbaric period into an appreciation of unity and harmony that would 
make them feel their kinship with the singing birds, dashing spray and swaying trees. 

The Importance of Pleasure and Enjoyment in Rhythmic.Work, — The pleasure the chil- 
dren derive from their rhythmic work is quite the most important factor of its success. 
To a great extent the teacher may gauge the successful results of her presentation in the 
children's response; but to secure this enthusiastic reception from the class, something 
more is necessary than that the teacher give them a vivacious and inspiring exhibition 
of the dance. If the teacher would make progress in her teaching and hold the interest 
and attention of her class from day to day, she can only hope to do so by a careful 
study of the rhythms, the progressive steps in their teaching and the manner in which 
she presents them to the children. First of all, the teacher must gain and hold the atten- 
tion, and, while she should always have a firm control of the conduct of the class, in game 
work particularly, she should keep her personality in the background. When children are 
absorbed in what they are doing, the problem of discipline becomes negligible. The 
interest of little children must be immediate; and, while with older classes attention to 
the mechanism of the dance may be held by a remote interest in the completed dance, 
this motive cannot be used with small children, hence the necessity of making the work 
itself interesting. It is hoped that by the use of dramatic and descriptive songs the 
attention of the children will be aroused and held until the whole class has caught the 
idea and mastered the desired exercise. For it is always the case that the attention of 
the precocious tends to wander after they have mastered the problem and that they are 
bothersome while the members of the group who are slower in acquiring the desired skill 
are still interested and unprepared to go on to the next step in the progression. 

Children should never be hurried to a new problem before they have mastered that 
which is intended to prepare for it. And right here is where the greatest mal-adjustments 
are liable to occur. Be sure that no child will enjoy an exercise in the performance of which 
he feels himself to fail. It is essential that a class should always feel success, if they are 
to enjoy their activity. Although mere muscular action may in itself give pleasure, this 
enjoyment may be overshadowed, however, if the action is under unpleasant circumstan- 
ces. Experience has shown that the children enjoy repeating "Hickory Dickory Dock" 
more times than they do the "Chimes of Dunkirk," for the three stamps and slides in 
the latter have no immediate interest except the pleasure in the ryhthmic movement. 



CHAPTER II 
THE TEACHING OF RHYTHMIC ACTION 

Class Organization. — The organization of the class, for teaching small children, is 
veiy properly and in fact necessainly more or less informal; nevertheless, it is essential 
that the class be conducted with some degree of formality, both for the sake of a clear 
and satisfactory presentation of the subject matter to be taught and from the point of 
view of the children; for, contrary to popular belief, experience shows that children wel- 
come and desire leadership, appreciate authority and dislike haphazard work, while dis- 
order tires and confuses them. Work given in a poorly conducted class is almost sure to 
be bai-ren of good results. 

The Circle is the simplest form of organization and is especially suitable for use in 
classes of small children, — in fact children at play naturally and spontaneously assume 
this formation. The circle formation is superior to the straight line in being easier to 
maintain. It is also the natural grouping to assume when a demonstration is made, as 
is evinced by the circular crowd which collects around a street accident or performance. 
WTien the teacher stands in the centre of the circle and demonstrates an action, it is 
possible for all the class to see her equally well; also if she stands in the circle with the 
children when they are in action, it induces a sense of comradeship with the group. This 
formation enables the teacher to look each child in the eye, which is always of great 
assistance in studying the members of the class in an effort to comprehend their difficulties 
and read their emotions, as well as in holding the attention and maintaining order. 

When the teacher wishes to assemble a group into a circle she may readily do so by 
using forms of expression something like the following: "Let's make a circle and take hold 
of hands," at the same time reaching her arms out sideways to illustrate. Should the chil- 
dren be slow to come together or stop to play with each other, she may add in a firm 
and pleasant manner, "quickly, please," "all take hold of hands." Next, to gauge the 
distance between the children and give room for freedom of movement, the class may be 
asked to "spread out a little better," at the same time the teacher should step back and 
raise her arms, thus taking "double distance." These instructions should be followed by 
the command "let go of hands," for should the teacher fail to give proper consideration 
to the busy little hands much mischief and disorder will inevitably result. The hands 
should never be clasped in any grouping except when there is some definite reason for 
their being so. In fact, many teachers make it a rule to keep the hands upon the hips 
whenever possible, thus removing the temptation for the child to squeeze and jerk his 
neighbor's hands and otherwise distract the attention of the class. 

The Straight Line. When teaching by imitation steps which require a differentiation 
of the use of the right and left, the circle formation should be abandoned in favor of the 
straight line; for should the teacher try to demonstrate, in the circle formation, such a 
movement, those facing her would use the opposite foot to the one she is using, while 
those beside and behind her would use the same. The evolving of a straight line from a 
circle is a simple matter for it may be accomplished by choosing a leader, facing the 
class in " line of direction " and having him lead those behind him out into a straight line. 

Grouping in Couples. After the teacher becomes somewhat acquainted with her class 
and the couple dances are introduced, it is recommended that she give each child a part- 
ner and a permanent position in the circle. By this means it is possible to scatter, through- 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AXD DANCES 5 

out the class, the precocious and older children in such a manner that the diffident and 
backward may be assisted by those who are quicker to grasp and retain the new idea. 
If the mischievous children are well separated they will generally give little trouble. This 
deliberate arranging of the group also helps to maintain better the average of the class, 
for it is an unfoi-tunate fact that a class can only advance as fast as its slowest members. 
In some schools the children are seated at their tables or desks in the desired order for 
floor work, so that they may march out in well-arranged order to begin active work. 
For teaching couple dances it is always well to have two permanent leaders as partners 
who should be the brightest, most responsible and skillful in the class, for their example 
and assistance will be invaluable to the rest of the class. Of course, irregularity of at- 
tendance, and increasing proficiency will necessitate a continual readjustment of partners; 
however, a sufficient nucleus of organization will be constant to make the rearrangement 
of partners a matter of a moment's consideration. This permanent airangement of the 
group into partners will preclude the necessity of counting off and "opening order" which 
little tots find difficult. When it is desired to teach the children the idea of "opening 
order" they may be given the game of "The Little Pigs." 

The question frequently arises in classes which are composed of both boys and girls 
whether it is advisable and advantageous that the partners be so selected that a boy 
and girl dance together. This arrangement looks very well in exhibitions and in some 
dances is very appropriate. As a rule little regard should be paid to the sex of the 
members of the class when teaching. Seldom is a class equally divided into girls and 
boys, and, therefore, it is useless to give the time and attention to this grouping. The 
physical skill and ability of little boys and girls is almost identical, and a differentiation 
which nature does not recognize or the children demand is hardly worth considering. 

Teaching by Imitation and Dramatization in Place of Commands and Descriptions. — 

When the first rhythmic work is given it is usually best to teach by imitation as much 
as possible. By imitation is meant that the teacher first shows each exercise and then 
dances with the class. Small children find it easier to imitate an action or act out 
some play than respond to descriptions or commands. Up to the time children enter 
school, their play has been imaginative and imitative without conscious effort at the 
differentiation of the activity of the various parts of the body. When a child makes his 
first efforts at directed activity, he is usually bewildered when asked to raise a right arm 
sideways or touch the left toe forward. Puzzling instructions and descriptions may be 
largely avoided if the child is gradually taught to respond to commands and descrip- 
tions. By the use of such Action Songs as this book includes, it has been found that 
the use of the names of steps, commands and descriptions of actions is unnecessary. 
When a child sees "Diddle, Diddle Dumpling" and hears the music he does not need 
to be told to run in place, raising his knees forward waist high. 

Arousing and Holding the Attention. — The interest aroused by the rhythm itself, if it 
is properly presented, will usually be sufficient to hold the attention of the class. Much 
depends upon the spirit the teacher puts into the demonstration, — that intangible some- 
thing which makes the series of motions a dance, not merely inexpressive actions. If the 
teacher enjoys the rhythm and shows she delights in executing it, there is little doubt 
but that the class will be eager to copy her demonstration. No UTitten description can 
convey to the teacher this spirit in which lies the charm of the dance, for it must come 
from her "feeling the rhythm" and expressing it by the flash of eye, the smile, elasticity 
of step and the emotion and thrill in the voice. If the teacher would succeed in teach- 
ing rhythmic work to children she must, when she shows a dance, forget to be a "school 
marm" by exerting herself to be as fascinating as lies in her power, and this she can 
easily do without loss of dignity. 

Care should be taken to watch carefully for any waning of the interest, and when 



6 RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

the teacher sees signs of wavering attention, due to loss of interest, then is the time to 
pass on to another game or dance. The mistake should not be made, however, of allow- 
ing the children to ai-quire the habit of flitting from one thing to another, constantly 
seeking for some new thing to amuse them and never concentrating long enough on one 
thing to master and really enjoy it. The game "Peter Piper Says Please" has been 
arranged with the idea of giving the class training in concentration and it may be used 
when the class have become somewhat disorganized as after a game such as "The Fairy 
Ship." 

The Musical Accompaniment of Rhythmic Work. — Rhythmic action involves a regular 
succession of motions in musical time with a periodical recurrence of accent. From 
the above statement it will be seen what an important factor the musical accompani- 
ment is in the proper presentation and interpretation of rhythmic work. The accom- 
paniment should bring out the rhythm of the words by a strong and clear accent of 
the time, and assist in interpreting the story of the dance by stimulating the emotions 
and inspiring the children with a desire to express themselves in bodily action. 

Teachei-s of Dancing will do well to give careful consideration to the subject of their 
musical accompaniment. A good and helpful accompanist must do more than accurately 
play the music. First she should carefully study the music, paying particular attention 
to the marking which indicates the tempo, accent, etc. Next she should study the dance. 
The pai'ts of the music which accompany skips, hops and other light "bouncing" actions 
should be light to stimulate the leap. All accented beats, when the foot strikes the floor, 
the claps, stamps and other single actions should be exaggerated by the bass notes, em- 
phasized at the expense of the melody, which is here of secondary importance. For sing- 
ing, the melody is the important part of the accompaniment; for dancing, this is not so 
largely the case, as it is the accented notes in the bass which give the dancers the time 
and help them to express the regular recurrence of intervals. When a dance is being demon- 
strated and taught, the musician should listen carefully and watch every movement to enable 
her to assist the teacher in bringing out the essential characteristics of the rhythm. Observ- 
ing the action will help her to pick out the exact notes or measures which correspond to the 
part of the dance being taught; for in dances of more than one figure, it is as essential 
that the music be split up into its integral parts, as that the dance be analyzed into its 
simplest elements. The accompaniment for teaching dancing should no more be con- 
sidered a musical performance to be played through toithe end than one would in teaching 
singing. The musician should hold herself ready to respond to the command "halt" upon 
any beat where the teacher may wish to stop and correct a mistake, or repeat a part. 
Frequently the accompanist may be required to repeat over and over a single measure 
until some desired point is mastered. 

At first she should take her time from the teacher and the class, but after the desired 
co-ordination has been acquired, or floor evolution learned, then she should cease to look 
at the class and pay strict attention to the time and artistic playing of the music. It is 
a very bad thing for a class to have the accompanist always adapt her time to them, for 
this will eventually result in both spoiling the musician's time and leaving the training of 
the class incomplete. The signal to the musician and the class that they are to hold them- 
selves in readiness to start at the same instant is the preparatory command "in time"; 
the signal to start the music and the action is given as soon after the preparatory com- 
mand as the teacher wishes, and is "begin." The teacher usually glances at the class to 
see that all are ready after she has given the warning signal "in time" before she adds 
"begin."' The signal to the musician and the class to stop is "halt." 

Words accompany the larger number of these Action Plays; yet they are in many cases 
intended to be used for descriptive purposes rather than as an accompaniment to the 
dance, sung by the class. It would be neither wise nor desirable that the children should 
constantly sing throughout the rhythmic period. If the teacher and the musician sing the 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 7 

songs as the children dance, this will furnish them a guide to the action, which is more 
effective and pleasant than counting or descriptive commands would be. Take as an 
example "The Stork" dance; instead of the teacher's saying "Raise your left foot and 
stand still on your right, 1-2-3-4-5-6, etc., now change, 1-2-3-4-5-6, etc., now let's fly, 
etc."; better balance will be kept if the teacher holds the attention by singing the song, 
and directs the action by illustrating the motions as she sings. 

The Use of the Voice. — Next in importance to the musical accompaniment, the 
demonstration of the action, and the class conduct, is the use of the voice. All that 
the teacher wishes to express or emphasize should be conveyed to the class by the tones 
of her voice. A careful study of the rhythms from the point of view of their interpre- 
tation by vocal expression will be well rewarded. "Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, where have you 
been?" should represent curiosity, interrogation and possibly reproof, and the teacher 
should express these sentiments when she first repeats the words to the class. The 
accented beats in the music should be supplemented by accenting the corresponding 
words in the verse. The voice should also express the tempo of the movement. A slow 
rhythm such as the motorman tapping his gong should be told in a slow, even way. While 
the words of "Jack Be Nimble" should be repeated quickly and in a lively spirit. A 
little thought and consideration given to the possibilities and scope of this subject will 
readily show one its importance and value. 

The manner in which the teacher expresses herself has much to do with the spirit 
of the class, their courteous and respectful coasideration for one another and their atti- 
tude toward the teacher. The teacher should address the class in such a way that the 
children always pay respectful and careful attention to what she has to say. The tones 
of the voice may be such that they assist the teacher to maintain a firm control over the 
class. This control of the class is at times rather difficult to keep, as precipitant action 
often tends to excite the children and disorganize the gi'oup activity. Without some re- 
straint there are liable to be some who will become excited, lose their self control and 
run aimlessly about, oppressing and interfering with the weaker or more attentive. By 
firm control is not meant strict discipline nor obnoxious display of authority, but rather 
the dignified expression we would expect the ideal and loving mother to use when playing 
with her little ones. 



THE LESSON 

The Beginning of the Rythmic Lesson. — When arranging a course in Gymnastics, or 
preparing a series of "Day's Orders," it is easier to plan ahead and definitely arrange 
what the progression is to be from lesson to lesson. The arranging of the lessons in 
rhythmic work cannot be so definitely planned in advance, owing to the many uncertain 
elements which may enter into the situation from day to day and disarrange the whole 
program. The spirit of the class, the spontaneous joy which comes with rhythmic action, 
the length of time it requires to learn a new movement, and the number of repetitions 
required to perfect the form are all variable quantities. Therefore it has been deemed 
unadvisable to arrange a series of rhythmic lessons, but instead briefly to give a few 
suggestions for the general plan of the lesson. 

The preparation of a program for teaching games and dances to older classes, of 
necessity, is largely based upon the consideration of precipitant action. For the idea is 
that a lesson should begin with the least violent action, the middle of the lesson should 
be the hardest and most active, while at the end of the lesson the heart beat should 
be slowed down and the strength of the movements gradually tapered off. Children, 
however, run and jump so easily and with comparatively so little effort that we need 



8 RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

not give to this subject the importance we should if the class were a few years older. 
We should, however, keep this general scheme in mind when planning our lesson. 

Let us assume for purposes of discussion that we have at our disposal for the rhythmic 
period fifteen to twenty minutes. The question arises, "How can we utilize this time to 
give the maximum of motor education, rhythmic training, recreation and fun for the 
children?" The lesson may well begin with a review, preferably a game or series of actions 
which are in the direct progression to lead up to the new element which it is proposed to 
introduce in the lesson. This review will bridge the transition between the previous quiet 
work and the more strenuous physical activity. Also it is of the utmost importance that 
the child enjoy the first activity in the lesson in order that we may gain his attention and 
put .him into a frame of mind where he will enter into new activities with eager anticipa- 
tion. Children almost without exception enjoy any physical action which they feel they 
execute with skill and success. 

If the first activity in the period is not a preparation in direct progression for the 
new element, then it is evident that such a review should next be given to introduce the 
new element. In every lesson something new should be taught, if nothing more than the 
correct way to stamp or clap. In this way the children will easily and without any strain- 
ing gradually acquire motor control and rhythmic sense. This new element should, how- 
ever, never in any way interfere with the mastery of each stage of the progression, for 
it is vital to success that the class be given something new only after the preparation has 
been entirely satisfactorily accomplished. Small children progress much more slowly than 
adults, because they have less motor control. If the "new element" in the lesson is not 
a movement which demands that large muscle masses be brought into action, then it is well 
to give next a few minutes to some skipping or running game; for it is recommended that 
the class be given sufficiently violent exercise each day to get them out of breath. This 
should not, however, be carried to an extreme. The aim of the teacher should be to 
send the child on to the next activity in such a condition that his body is in an im- 
proved state, such as better circulation and improved nerve control. 

The Ending of the Lesson. — It is a mistake to end the lesson with a disagreeable or 
difficult task, because itl is greatly to be desired that the child remember his rhythmic 
period with pleasure. He should be able to recall that he enjoyed the work and t"hat he 
successfully mastered something new and possibly difficult, for this pleasant memory will 
insure his bringing enthusiasm and interest to the next game period. The teacher should 
see to it that her class always goes from the active to the quiet work in a condition of 
self control. It should never be necessary to resort to discipline to quiet a class after a 
"strenuous physical activity. The probabilities are that the excitement and restlessness 
are due to quickened heart action such as results from running, hopping, etc. Slow leg 
movements which draw the blood into the large muscles of the leg are helpful to relieve 
this condition, such as marching, "Goosey, Goosey Gander," the knee bending and 
stretching in "Cock-a-doodle-doo" (without the run), "Bobby Shafto," "See-saw No. I," 
and the "Motorman." Quiet games are also of value, as "Humpty Dumpty," "Little 
Miss Muffet," "Sing a Song of Sixpence," "The Kewpies," "Come, My Dolly," "The 
Fairies' Moonlight Dance," "Hush-a-bye Baby," "The Pancake Man" and "The Stork." 

Breathing Exercises. — Breathing exercises are also valuable, and may advantageously 
be placed at the end of the lesson. "Playing Train" is a good breathing exercise when 
the breath is held for two measures. Children greatly enjoy imitating animals. To fur- 
nish an interest and a motive in the breathing exercises, the following animal imitations 
may be given at a suitable time to correspond with the previous activity in the lesson: 
mewing of the "Three Little Kittens"; the panting of the dog the master lost; the 
bleating of the "Black Sheep"; "Cock-a-doodle-doo"; the buzzing of the fly in the 
spider's parlor, etc. Or they may take long breaths by pretending to smell the "Bios- 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DAXCES 9 

soming Flowers'; the violets mentioned in the "Fairies' Moonlight Dance"; the baking 
pancakes in "The Pancake Man"; the cake in "Pat-a-cake." The class may try to see 
how many times they can say "tinkle" on one breath to imitate the leading of "Peter 
Pan" by "Tinker Bell." For sustaining exhalation the children may pretend to blow 
various things, as example, blowing of such seeds as the dandelion by the wind in 
"Blossoming Flowers." The rooster in "Cock-a-doodle-doo," "The Stork" or the birds in 
"Blossoming Flowers" may be supposed to drop feathers which the children blow. Many 
appropriate themes will doubtless suggest themselves to the teacher. 

Often if the children are given some mental image upon which to concentrate their 
attention, while the circulation is adjusting, their excitement will pass away. Also when 
restlessness ensues from concentration or an endeavor to acquire some difficult co-ordina- 
tion it will rest the mind if their attention is held to some quieting thought. This con- 
centration upon a mental image may best be done with eyes closed. 

The teacher may present the image in some such form as this: 

"How many of you ever saw an apple tree with flowers on it?" 
"What color were the flowers?" 

"What happened to the petals when the wind blew?" 

"Suppose we close our eyes and try to think just how they looked flutter- 
ing down in a cloud of pink." 

This may be given preceding the dance "Come, My Dolly." 

Or the teacher may use this means of suggesting the image to the class: 

"Let's close our eyes and try to remember what a snowstorm looks like. 
After you have thought about it for a while I am going to ask you to tell me 
about it. What street did you play you were on? And how large were the 
snowflakes, and how fast did they fall?" 

Other suggestions correlated with these Action Plays are: 
Listening to the 

Black Sheep bleat, 

Santa Claus' sleigh bells, 

The tick of the clock which the mouse ran up in "Hickory Dickory Dock." 

Imagining they are watching 

The man in the moon, 

Twinkling little stars, 

Fireflies flickering and flashing, 

Christmas tree and noticing how it is trimmed and what presents are on the 
tree. 

The autumn wind scattering the leaves, 

The Kewpies flying down from the sky. 

The three ships sailing. Fairy Ship and the ship in which Bobby Shafto sailed 
to sea. 

Closing the eyes is restful in itself. Softly singing "Hush-a-bye Baby" or "Bye Baby 
Bunting" with the eyes closed will also have a quieting effect. Another suggestion might 
be to ask the children to show how quiet and still the Brownies and Fairies keep during 
the day. Much of the success of such suggestions depends upon the quieting and sooth- 
ing influence of the teacher's voice and manner when she presents them to the class. 



10 RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

THE PROGRESSIVE ORDER OF ARRANGING THE ACTION PLAYS 

The History of Rhythmic Action. — The rapid and unprecedented spread of the Folk 
Dance movement throughout this country has not been the result of chance but rather 
because these dances are of such incalculable value from a recreational and educational 
pomt of view. Aesthetic Dancing is the culmination in our age of a long process of 
evolution in the art of bodily expression, and as such is a sister to Music and Drawing, 
and like them it has its well-developed technique. Many of the peasant dances, in 
reality, represent some of the earlier stages of this evolution. They are less technical, 
being a popular form of amusement among the crude peasants and have a strong element 
of imitation, their themes being frequently drawn from everyday life, as instanced by 
such titles as "The Trip to Stockholm" and "The Shoemaker." It will readily be seen 
that these dances, characterized by a large amount of energetic action, playful panto- 
mime and irresistably catchy and vivacious musical accompaniment must strongly and 
univei-sally appeal to children, whose very instinct prompts them to express themselves 
in joyous and intense physical activity. However, the Folk Dances are dances of adults 
and, as such, presuppose the motor skill of the adult peasant and therefore are generally 
unsuitable for children under the age of eight or nine years. The Folk Dances represent 
an advance over the more primitive forms in that they are more formal; the exact 
actions are well defined, while their complicated figures, couple evolutions, and difficult 
steps are a distinct advance over the individualistic actions of the pantomime dances. 

The earliest form of the dance included only the familiar steps of walking, running 
and leaping. Each dancer went through his actions alone without the assistance of others, 
— that is, there was more or less freedom of choice of the form and manner of expression. 
The circle formation was one of the most common groupings, as the dancing usually took 
place around a fire, or some object such as the totem pole. To the savage the dance was 
the highest form of expression for his strongest emotions. The mimicry of the Folk Dance 
is inherited from the earliest forms. 

The Progressions. — It is neither practical nor necessary that the small child in 
learning to dance, should progress through the exact stages which mark the evolution of 
the dance. This would involve the teaching of much that is uncouth and in every way 
undesirable and unnecessary. Nevertheless, a study of the history of dancing yields 
many valuable suggestions for the arrangement of a course for the rhythmic motor 
education of the child. As the first attempts of the savage at a rhythmic movement of 
his feet made use only of those movements he already knew, just so we ought to start 
the children to dance by first making rhythmic those actions which the child has previ- 
ously acquired, namely walking, running and skipping. The first thing for us to do is to 
decide what we wish to teach and then link these advanced steps with what the child 
knows by a carefully graded order of arrangement. After we have decided what our goal 
is to be, we must next analyze and make a careful study of all the essential charac- 
teristics and basic elements of these advanced dances. All dances are capable of being 
broken up into more simple forms which, in the last analysis, are evolutions of walks, 
runs, slides and skips. Too much importance cannot be placed upon making rhythmic 
work simple and easy for the child by linking the unknown complicated steps with 
what he already knows. It is possible to arrange these basic elements of steps in several 
different orders of progression, each of which has much to recommend it; however, any 
successful progression must be so arranged that each new element added is so natural a 
sequence of the preceding that it is almost a spontaneous evolution. The preparatory 
teaching should be such that when it is desired to teach a new dance, the teacher has 
only to show how previously acquired actions may be united in a new way with as small 
an element as possible of the unacquired. It is not claimed nor expected that the follow- 
ing progressively arranged Action Plays fulfil this ideal nor that they will supersede all 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 11 

other rhythmic work now in successful use. They are merely presented as representing 
one possible set of progressions. It is recommended, if the teacher wishes to u.se this pro- 
gressive order, that she analyze those games, which she has in the past found suitable 
for her classes, and either substitute them in the proper place for those included here, or 
use them as desirable and profitable additions to the course. On the other hand, if the 
teacher wishes to use some other series of progi'ession; then the grading here may be en- 
tirely disregarded, as many of the rhythms require about an equal amount of skill and may 
be given simultaneously. If no progression is used, then the dances cannot be expected 
to lead up as efficiently to more advanced work. This would tend to make each rhythm 
an end in itself. While due regard has been paid to making the rhji:hms pleasurable to 
the children and attractive and pleasing to the spectator, the ideal in mind has been to 
educate and develop the child and unfold his powers. Although each represents a com- 
plete unit, they are not ends in themselves but represent a series of stages leading up to 
higher things. None of these Action Plays, — with the possible exception of "Bean Por- 
ridge Hot," — is accompanied by traditional action, although traditional singing games 
and dances have been freely borrowed from for ideas. This has been considered both 
excusable and inevitable, considering that the course is supposed to be preparatory to 
more advanced work. After its completion it is anticipated that the children will be 
familiar with many of the couple evolutions, rhythmic steps and actions which are a part 
of our most popular Folk Dances. Some of the rhythms are almost absurdly short and 
simple, as "To Market," but it must be remembered that little children always start 
memorizing with short words and phrases. In teaching dancing to adults the progression 
need neither be as slow nor elaborate. Often in a single lesson all the steps of a simple 
dance may be taught and assembled. This method is not generally satisfactory for small 
children. It is better to teach each action as a separate rhythm thus giving the children 
an immediate interest. For example, "See-saw No. Ill" is prepared for by a whole series 
of progressions and when, after the child has learned all its integral parts and the dance 
as a whole is given him, the sequence of figures and final synthesis and assembling of 
parts will be a revelation and a joy to him. 

The Teaching of the Action Plays. — Learning to dance is a matter of physical 
growth and mental development and this should be thoroughly recognized by the teacher. 
When this is properly understood the importance of progressing slowly will be appreci- 
ated, and the futility of hurrying the class to cover a course will be evident. Disregard 
of this important point will certainly endanger the success of all future work and give the 
child a large amount to unlearn. What a child learns he should learn correctly, and this 
he cannot do if he is hurried on to something new before he is properly prepared. One 
of the most difficult tasks in motor-education is to correct a fixed undesirable habit of 
motor-reaction. The time to correct a spelling lesson is said to be before it is written. 
Just so with dancing, the time to teach good form is when an action is first presented, 
as example, the child should from the first be encouraged to dance lightly and with good 
knee action to obviate jars. To teach intelligently any form of Physical Training it is 
necessary that the teacher constantly keep in mind something of the mental and physical 
processes involved in acquiring a new co-ordination, for in this way only, can she nicely 
judge when the class is prepared to pass on to a new stage in the progression. Briefly, 
this is the way a new movement is acquired: 

1. The teacher helps the child to construct a mental image of the desired action, 
(a) Through the eye (by demonstration of the movement). 
(6) Through the ear (by oral description), 
(c) By stimulating his imagination. 
The mental image must be constructed by a new association of what he already knows. 



12 RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

2. The child's brain sends out an impulse through the nerves to reproduce the image 
in physical activity. 

3. This impulse stimulates certain muscles, which respond with an effort to produce 
the desired action. 

4. The stimulated muscles may not at first hit upon the correct reaction to corre- 
spond to the mental image, in which case an experimental stage will follow the 
sending out of the impulse by the brain. This experimental stage is called the 
period of "trial and error." After some experimenting and practicing, the stimu- 
lated muscles will learn to do team work and the desired action will result. 

5. The movement must be repeated a sufficient number of times for the impulse 
which stimulates the action to make a nerve pathway and thus fix the proper habit 
of reaction. 

6. After the habit of reaction has been fixed, the movement becomes reflex and may 
be stimulated without the direction of the brain, the control passing to the spinal 
cord. 

From the above rapid and superficial survey may be deduced that the teacher should 
first of all take great care in building up the mental image of the action which she wishes 
reproduced; for if the image of the desired action is not properly constructed, she cannot 
expect the reaction to be satisfactoiy. Without making the presentation tedious or con- 
fusing she should help the child to construct as accurate an image as possible of what 
she desires to teach. It is believed that little descriptive and dramatic Action Plays are 
a valuable aid to such a presentation. Mistakes and probable misunderstanding should 
be guarded against by looking ahead for possible errors and then incorporating in the 
rhythm or the manner of its presentation some element which will make clear the point 
which is liable to be misinterpreted. That is, instead of caution against a mistake, let her 
tell the child to do something which will in itself induce the correct form. In "Diddle, 
Diddle Dumpling" we have a rhythm which is bound to introduce the desired knee action 
into the stamp, as the knees are certain to be raised waist-high, because of the previous 
knee action of the quick run in place. 

If the child is very much interested and anticipates with delight trying to make any 
desired motion, then the impulse sent out to the muscles will be correspondingly strong 
and successful. 

Great patience is required in teaching any form of Physical Training because of the 
period of "trial and error," when the class may perhaps be indifferently accomplishing 
what is expected of them. The teacher should not at this time fret herself with useless 
endeavors to correct mistakes, nor should she distract the attention of the class by ad- 
monitory commands and descriptions. Give the class time to do so and they will prob- 
ably prove that the apparent mistakes were only made because the muscles were learning 
how to respond to the stimulus of the impulse, by trying out how best to make the move- 
ment. Always let the teacher remember that, if she can be reasonably sure that the 
children have a correct mental image of the desired action, if this action is within the 
ability of the class, and if the desire to reproduce it is sufficiently strong, then the proper 
co-ordination is almost sure to be acquired, if the class is allowed sufficient time for ex- 
perimenting and practicing. 

The time when the action becomes reflex is also liable to bring discouragement, for 
after the class has been correctly executing the movement for some little time, the teacher 
may look around and discover that a part or all of the children seem to have lost their 
recently acquired skill. This is the truth, for when the control of the action passed from 
the brain to the spinal cord some link in the chain of stimulus, impulse and reaction was 
lost. This break in the association happens quite frequently, especially when the rhythm 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 13 

requires such co-ordination as the taps in "The Motorman." This loss of ability to per- 
form the movement is really not as serious as it appears to be. The teacher has only to 
go back to the beginning and briefly review her previous presentation of the action, which 
will serve to bring the direction of the movement back to the brain and thus re-establish 
the proper reaction. It may be necessary, if the co-ordination is difficult to acquire, to 
repeat such a review a number of times. 

When teaching a new movement, all confusing and complicating elements should be 
eliminated in order that the presentation may be as simple as possible. It is therefore, 
in most cases, best to teach the words of the Action Play before the movement is shown. 
The teaching of the words may be taken care of in the singing circle or song period. 
The use of Mother Goose rhymes minimizes the number of songs to be taught, as many 
are already familiar to the children. It should not be expected that the children should 
constantly sing when they are learning a difficult action. When the children seem to pre- 
fer to do the action without singing the words aloud, the teacher may sing and thus fur- 
nish a guide to the action, much as a mother sings "Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man" 
when she is teaching her baby to "pat-a-cake." When the movement is difficult the 
musical accompaniment often is distracting. During the period of "trial and error" it is 
frequently easiest for each child to take his own time when experimenting how to accom- 
plish the movement; therefore, the uniformity of time set by the music acts as a hindrance 
instead of giving assistance. A step which involves a leap or a jump demands that the 
attention be divided between the learning of the mechanism of the step and acquiring 
the difficult task of properly adjusting the body weight. For this reason the mechanism 
should be taught by walking the step and adding the leap after the proper form has been 
mastered. 

The plan of presenting a Song Play may follow this order: 

1. Teach the song. 

2. Review previously acquired actions upon which new movement is based. 

3. Present the new action in such a way that the child will construct the 
proper mental image. 

4. Let the children walk the new step or movement without leaps, the teacher 
singing the words of the Song Play. 

5. Let the children walk the step with the music slowly accompanying the 
action. The tempo should follow the action of the class. 

6. Let the children dance the step with the music following the action of the 
class. 

7. Let the children dance the step while singing the words, following the time 
set by the piano. 



RHYTHMIC ACTIOX PLAYS 
AND DANCES 



PAET TWO 



PART TWO 
CONTENTS 

Rhythmic Action Plays and Dances arranged progressively for teaching. 



PAGE 

Chapter I. Walking, Marching and 

Running 23 

The Kewpies 23 

The Crooked Man 24 

Little Miss Muffet 26 

Wee Willie Winkie 27 

Lucy Locket 28 

Sing a Song of Sixpence 29 

The Pancake Man 31 

The Tin Soldiers 33 

Chapter II. Sliding 35 

Playing Train 36 

Here We Go on a Merry-go-round 38 

Santa Claus and the Christmas Tree . 40 
Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little 

Dog Gone? 42 

Yankee Doodle 86 

To Market 43 

Hickory, Dickory, Dock 44 

Peter Pan 45 

Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat 47 

Three Funny Old Men 49 

Chapter III. Knee, Hip and Ankle 

Action 51 

The Stork 51 

See-saw, No. I 53 

Goosey, Goosey, Gander 54 

Diddle, Diddle Dumpling 55 

Walking on Stilts 57 

The Motorman 57 

Cock-a-doodle-doo 61 

The Man in the Moon 63 

Bobby Shafto 66 



PAGE 

Chapter IV. Hippity Hops, Skips and 

Jigs 67 

Hush-a-bye Baby 68 

See-saw, No. II 69 

Here We Go on a Merry-go-round 38 

Old King Cole 71 

Dame, Get Up and Bake Your Pies. 73 

Ride A Cock Horse 74 

Hippity Hop to the Barber Shop . . 75 

Chapter V. Balance Step and Point 

Step 77 

Leg over Leg. (Music) 90 

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, No. I . 78 

Come, :My Dolly 79 

The Fireflies' Dance 82 

The Fairies' Moonlight Dance ... 84 

Chapter VI. The Step Hop 85 

Leg over Leg. (Music) 90 

Yankee Doodle 86 

Jack Be Nimble 89 

Leg over Leg. (Game) 90 

Jack and Jill, No. I 91 



Chapter VII. The "Hop Waltz" 

See-saw, No. Ill 



Chapter VIH. Sliding 
Use of the Feet . 



with Alternate 



92 
92 

96 



Children Sliding 97 

The Fairies' Moonlight Dance (Music) 84 

The Christmas Ships 98 

Brownies and Fairies 100 

Jack and Jill, No. II 103 

The Little Nut Tree 105 



16 



16 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

Chapter IX. Couple Dances and other 
Action Plays in which the Forma- 
tion is Composed of Several Small 

Groups 107 

Bow-wow-wow 109 

Two Little Blackbirds 110 

The Little Pigs 112 

Pat-a-cake 114 

Three Little Kittens 116 

Ba, Ba, Black Sheep 120 

The Old Man in Leather 123 

Hippity Hop to the Barber Shop. 

(With change of partners) ... 75 

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, No. II 126 

Girls and Boys, Come Out to Play . 129 



PAGE 

Puss, Puss, Grey Cat 132 

Chapter X. Miscellaneous Action Plays 135 

The Fairy Ship 136 

Little Boy Blue 138 

The Spider and the Fly 138 

Mistress Mary 139 

The Elephants' Dance 140 

Simple Simon 140 

Humpty Dumpty 143 

Peter Piper Says Please 144 

Hey Diddle Diddle 144 

Poor Dog Bright 145 

Bye Baby Bunting 147 

Blossoming Flowers 149 



GLOSSARY 




CLAP. Raise the left hand forward about waist high, 
palm facing upward; slap the palm of the left hand with 
the fingers of the right. This way is less liable to sting 
and will make a louder noise than when the palms are struck 
together. The position is a very convenient one from which 
to pass to other movements, as it does not involve rotat- 
ing the forearm as is necessary when the fingers are pointed 
upward. 




CURTSY. Step backward on the right foot; bend the 
right knee, straighten left leg and incline the body slightly 
forward. At the same time the skirts may be grasped at 
either side and spread sideways. 



KNEELING. To kneel in a dance, bend the left knee and place the right knee on 
the floor, from which position it is very easy to arise and continue the dance. 



FINGER SHAKE. Raise the left arm forward waist 
high, forearm parallel to the floor, palm facing downward. 
Rest the right elbow lightly on the back of the left hand 
and raise the right forearm pei^pendicular to the left hand. 
Point the right forefinger upward. In shaking the finger 
the movement is not so much a flexion of the elbow as a 
rotation of the forearm which turns the finger about one 
third of a circle from right to left, thus turning the point 
of the finger toward partner. The finger shake may be ex- 
pressive of accusation, inquisition, derision, plaWul demon- 
stration of vivacity or mischievous display of tender senti- 
ment. 



17 




18 



GLOSSARY 



ARM HOOK. As partners stand facing and slightly to the side, they hook their 
nearest arms together by linking them at the elbow. 

STAMP. Raise the knee and incline body slightly toward knee; then slap the floor 
with the foot by forcibly straightening the knee, at the same time raise body to an erect 
posture. 

JUMPING (e.g. as in "Old King Cole"). Bend the knees; stretch the knees and leap 
in the air; land on the floor with the knees separated, the heels raised and the knees bent. 
The smallest child should be taught to land properly with the knees bent to obviate jar. 
The teaching should be by demonstration and suggestion. The teacher may suggest that 
the class listen to .see who can come down without making any noise. She may also illus- 
trate the jar which comes from landing stiff legged and the easy and quiet landing which 
results from proper form. 

HIGH KNEE BENDING. Raise the knee until the thigh is parallel to the floor. 
Make a right angle at the knee and point the toe toward the floor. 




HOP WALTZ. This step is a modified form for 
small children of a common step in Folk Dancing, the 
"Step Hop Waltz." A careful description of the mechan- 
ism is given in Chapter VII. 



BALANCE STEP. Step sideways and point the toe of opposite foot forward, then 
raise and lower the heel of the supporting foot. 

POINT STEP. 

Count 1. Raise the right foot and point the right toe forward, turning the 

right heel to the left and forward. 

Count 2. Raise the toe from the floor by raising the leg as a whole. 

Count 3. Step forward on the right foot. 

Repeat with the left foot and continue alternating right and left foot. 

WRING THE DISH RAG. Two children stand facing with their hands clasped. 
They turn around in place by turning away from each other, back to back and toward 
each other again; this they do without letting go of hands. First the clasped hands are 
raised in the direction they are to turn and the children turn away from each other under 
the arch thus formed by the raised arms. The clasped hands are then passed over the 
head and down at the other side as they turn back to back. As the children complete 
the turn and face each other the other clasped hands are raised and passed over the head 
following the same direction and path as those first to be raised. 

IN PLACE. An action executed in place means that the dancer performs the action 
on the spot where he is standing and does not move away in any direction from the 
position he is occupying on the floor. 



GLOSSARY 19 

^^^ ^^^ IN LINE OF DIRECTION is a term which means direc- 

.^ "^ tion of movement around the circle, the progression being coun- 

/ 1 ter clockwise. When a dancer is facing the centre of a circle 

r \ the movement is to his right. 

I I The use of this command does away with much unneces- 

V ' sary and often involved explanation. The children should be 

\ / accustomed to the use of the term as soon as possible by the 

^ teacher naming the action whenever opportunity offers. 



\ 



y' 



NEIGHBOR is the term used to designate the one who stands next to the dancer in 
the formation but who is not his partner. 



^ 
■■.J^ 






iH\i 




Neighbors. 
Partners. 



OUTSIDE PARTNER is the partner who b farthest away from the centre of the 
circle. 

INSIDE PARTNER is the partner nearest the centre of the circle. 

OUTSIDE HANDS AND FEET are the left hands and feet of the inside partners 
and the right hands and feet of the outside partners when in circle formation, facing in 
line of direction. 






O Outside Feet 

'^^i::^ I - - - Inside Feet. 



<^. 



c^ 



INSIDE HANDS AND FEET are the right hands and feet of inside partners and left 
hands and feet of outside partners when in circle formation, facing in line of direction. 



20 GLOSSARY 

SINGLE CIRCLE FACING INWARD is the formation in which the dancers stand 
side by side around a circle facing the centre. 

- / 

SINGLE CIRCLE, PARTNERS FACING is the formation in which every other one 
in the circle faces in the opposite direction; that is, partners stand facing each other with 
their sides to the centre of the circle. 






DOUBLE CIRCLE is the formation of two concentric circles, facing inward or facing 
outward as desired. 






GLOSSARY 21 

DOUBLE CIRCLE, FACING IN LINE OF DIRECTION is the formation in which 
partnei-s stand side by side in couples. 



1 ^ r' 



• )•) 



KEY TO THE DESCRIPTIONS OF THE ACTION PLAYS 

FORMATION appears immediately after the music and indicates the organization 
or arrangement of the group when the g-ame begins. 

THE ITALICIZED COLUMN TO THE LEFT of the pag-e gives the words of the 
Action Play, when the column is read from top to bottom. 

THE COLUMN TO THE RIGHT of the page gives the actions of the song, when 
the column is read from top to bottom. 

TO STUDY OUT AN ACTION PLAY read the page crosswise. The words of the 
song appear in the same spacing directly opposite the description of their drama- 
tization. 

THE PICTURES are in juxtaposition to the part of the text which they illustrate. 

THE SPACINGS between the descriptions of the action serve to show just how 
much of the game or dance is done to the opposite words. 

This plan has been followed throughout the descriptions wherever it seemed 
practical or necessary, in order to preclude any misunderstanding of just what 
action is intended for each part of the song. This arrangement of the descriptions 
also enables the teacher to easily refer to any point in the description without 
rereading the whole. 

Most games and dances are intended to be continuously repeated as many 
times as is desired. 

Unless otherwise statea, concentric circles are composed of the same number 
of children. 



PART TWO 

CHAPTER I 

Walking, Marching and Running. — This group includes Action Plays which have a 
strong element of pantomime, and yet require little skill beyond that which the children 
already possess. Marching is essentially rhythmic walking and "The Tin Soldier," with which 
the group ends, is intended to start the children in formal marching. The aim of the 
group as a whole is to organize the class into the most simple of all formations, the circle, 
and introduce to the child the idea of rhj^hmic action. The running is of the most in- 
formal kind and little attention is paid to keeping in time with the music. 



Progression for Teaching 



The Kewpies. 
The Crooked Man. 
Little Miss Muffet. 
Wee Willie Winkie. 



Lucy Locket. 
Sing a Song of Sixpence. 
The Pancake Man. 
The Tin Soldiers. 



TIIK KEWPIES* 



Irene E. Phillips Moses 




ta:^ 



German 



t 



^P 



The Kew - pies, the Kew - pies, all round us they spread ; They 

-g — g = 



-t-7- 



± 



? 



-0—^- 



-N-^^— 1<- 



V- 




i^ 



S 



t^ 



S 



dance and they whirl 

.A JL 



IT- 



till 



they 



turn (Ma - ry's) head. 

r - — a — s— 



^ 



• The word Kewpie is here used with the kind permission of the Woman's Home Companion, where the 
Kewpies may be seen from month to month. 

23 



24 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 








The children join hands in a circle and walk around in line of direction swinging 
their arms and singing the words of the song. On the words "turn (Mary's) head" some 
child in the circle previously chosen is named in the song and turns around with her back 
to the centre of the circle and again joins hands with her neighbors. The words are 
repeated "over and over, and at each repetition the child to the right of the last one to 
turn is named in the song and turns around. This continues until all have turned with 
their backs to the centre of the circle, when the children in the same rotation turn round 
one by one and face the centre again. 

Note: This is a simple game but very popular with small children. It has the same 
action as the old English game "Green Gravel" but with a less sentimental theme. The 
teacher may tell the class about Rose O'Neill's Kewpies and their pranks which turn peo- 
ples' heads, showing them the pictures of these dehghtful little people. 



Mother Goose 



Allegretto 



THE CROOKED MAN 



Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 






There was a crooked man, he walked a crooked mile, He found a crooked sixpence a - 



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RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



25 



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gainst a crook - ed stile; 



He bought a crook - ed cat, which 



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caught a crooked mouse,And they all lived to-geth-er in a lit- tie crooked house. 

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Formation. — A single circle facing in line of direction. 

There was a crooked man, he walked a crooked mile, 

He found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile; March forward in line of direction. 

He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse, 



And 



Halt and face centre of circle. 




they all lived together 
in a little crooked house. 



All kneel on right knee. 



26 



Mother Goose 
M AUeqretto 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
LITTLK MISS MIFFET 



Traditional Tune 



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Lit - tie Miss Muf-fet, she sat on a tuf-fet Eat-ing curds and whey; There 

accel. 

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came a black spi-der and sat down beside her And frightened Miss Muf-fet a - way. 




Formation. — All the children kneel a good distance apart, on the right knee, facing 
the centre of the circle and holding an imaginary bowl in the left arm, except an odd 
one, the spider, who is on the outside of the circle. 



Little Miss Muffet, 
she sat on a tuffeV 
Eating curds and whey; 



There came a black spider 
and sat down beside her, 




And frightened Miss Muffet away. 



The children go through 
the movements of pretend- 
ing to eat from the im- 
aginary bowl while the 
spider steals around on 
the outside of the circle. 



The spider sits down on 
the right side of some one 
whom he wishes to scare 
away. 



The one on whose right the spider sits, jumps 
up and runs away and becomes the new 
spider. The spider then moves into the va- 
cant place and the game continues as before. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
WEE WILLIE \VI\KIE 



27 



Mother Goose 



Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 



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Wee Wil-lie Winkie runs thro' the town, Up stairs and down stairs in his night-gown ; 



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Rapping on the window, crying thro' the look, Are the children in their beds now 'tis eight o'clock ? 
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Formation. — A single circle facing inward with an odd one (Wee Willie Winkie) on 
the outside of the circle. 



Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town, "Wee Willie" runs around on outside of 

Upstairs and downstairs in his nightgown; circle. 



Rapping on the window, 



"Wee Willie" stops and claps his hands twice, which is the 
signal for the children to go to sleep. This they do by clos- 
ing their eyes and placing their cheek on the back of their 
hand. 



crying through the lock, 



Wee Willie" places his hand to his mouth as if calling. 




Are the children in their beds, 
now 'tis eight o'clock? 



"Wee Willie" steals into the circle and looks around to see 
if all are asleep, then he quickly runs out and taps someone 
on the back, who chases "Wee Willie" endeavoring to catch 
him before he is back to the vacant place in the circle. 
Should he succeed, the game begins again with the same 
"Wee Willie," otherwise the chaser is the new "Wee Willie" 
for the repetition of the game. 



28 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
LUCY LOCKET 



Mother Goose 
Modfrato 



Traditional 
accel. 




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Lu - cv Lock - et lost her pock - et, Kit- ty Fish - er found it; But 



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ne'er a pen - ny was there in't Ex - cept the bind - ing round it. 









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Formation. — A single circle standing facing inward, with a Lucy Locket on the outside of 
circle chosen to drop the handkerchief. 



L/ucy Locket lost her pocket, 



Lucy Locket runs around on outside of circle and drops 
her handkerchief behind someone in the circle, 



Kitty Fisher found it; 



the one behind whom the handkerchief is dropped picks it up 



But ne'er a penny was there in't and pursues Lucy Locket around the circle in an effort to 
Except the binding round it. catch Lucy Locket before she gains the vacant place. 

Should she succeed in catching her, the game begins again 
with the same Lucy Locket, otherwise Kitty Fisher be- 
comes the new Lucy Locket. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
SIXC; A SOXG OF SIXPENCE 

Mother Goose Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 



29 



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Sing a song of six - pence, a pock-et full of rye, 



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black - birds, baked 



in a pie. 



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When the pie was o - pened the 



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Was-n't that a dain-ty dish to 



birds be - gan to sing, 



set be-fore a king? 



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The king was in his count-ing house count -ing out his mon - ey. 



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queen was in the par - lor eat - ing bread and hon - ey. The maid was in the 






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gar - den hang-ing out her clothes,A - long came a black-bird and nipped off her nose. 






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30 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 




Formation. — The players stand in a single circle facing in line of direction, with their 
hands placed upon the shoulders of the one in front. A single blackbird stands in the 
centre. 



Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye, 
Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie. 

When the pie 

was opened the birds began to sing, 

Wasn't that a dainty dish 

to set before a king? 



The king was in his counting 
hov^e counting out his money. 



The queen was in the parlor 
eating bread and honey. 



The maid was in the garden 
hanging out her clothes, 

Along came a blackbird 

and nipped off her nose. 




The players march around in a circle. 

Face centre of circle. 

March backward to represent opening of pie. 

Raise hands forward upward as if showing pie. 

Lower arms and bow forward as if setting 
dish before a king. 

Go through motions to represent counting 
out money. Hold up left hand and with the 
right index finger touch each of the fingers of 
the left hand, beginning with the little finger. 



Spread an imaginary slice of bread 
by running the forefinger (knife) 
over left palm (bread), then hold 
right hand to mouth as if eating. 

Raise arms forward upward toward 
an imaginary line and raise on toes. 

Run right forefinger down nose. 

Show nose by placing the thumb 
between first and second finger. 



The showing of the nose is done quickly and is the signal for all to kneel. The black- 
bird in the centre then rushes forward and tries to tag someone before he can kneel. 
Should he succeed, the one tagged takes his place in the centre, otherwise the game begins 
again with the same blackbird and is played as before. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PL.\YS AND DANCES 
THE PANCAKE MAX 



31 



Irene E. Phillips Moses 

MarcJi time 



Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 



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When moth - er takes us down - town, We al - ways if 



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Pass the lunch-room win - dow, With its white-capped pancake man. Oh! see him 
Christina Rossetti Eleanor Smith 



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'mix 



a pan - cake, Stir a pan - cake, Drop it 



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pan; 




Try the pan - cake, toss the pan - cake, Catch it 



you can. 



* From " A Primer of Vocal Music " by Eleanor Smith, printed by permission of Silver, 

BURDETT AND COMPANY'. 



Formation. — A single circle facing in line of direction. 

When mother takes us down-toivn, 

We always if we can, 

Pass the lunch-room window, 

With its white-capped pancake man. 

Oh! see him 

mix a pancake, 




March forward around circle in 
line of direction. 



Halt and face centre of circle. 

Roll right hand forward and 
down over left, circling away 
from body Uv\'ice). 



stir a pancake. 




Roll left hand over right and up- 
ward toward body (twice). 



32 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



Drop it 



in the 




Clap thighs in front. 



Clap hands waist high. 



pan; 



Try the pancake, 




Clap thighs in front. 



Place palms of hands together and raise hands 
on level with mouth, the back of right hand 
facing upward. The right hand represents 
the pancake, the left hand the pan. Slowly 
raise the wrist of the right hand, keeping the 
tips of fingers together, then peep under hand 
to see if underside of pancake is done. 



toss the pancake, 




Separate hands, turn palms upward and make 
movement as if tossing a pancake high above 
the head. 



catch it 



if you can. 




Clap hands. 



Drop hands at sides. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

THE TIN SOLDIERS* 

W. H. Neidlinger 

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See my sol - diers all so fine; Ta 



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Hear the bu - gle call; Stead - y, stead - y, 



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keep in time; For- ward, march; for - ward all! Ta-ra, ta-ra, ta 



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* Printed by permission of G. Schirmer, 3 East 43d St., New York City. 



34 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 





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ra, ta - ra, ta - ra, ta - ra, ta - ra! Now we're on pa - rade! 




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This music has been included because it is an excellent march with an appropriate 
theme. The first marching may be either in single file or in couples as the teacher may 
desire. No attempt has been made here to write out the many simple marching evolu- 
tions in common use in little children's classes, for each teacher has her favorite fancy 
marches which are best adapted to the size and shape of her floor. 

Measures 1-8 may be used for marking time. Measures 9-18 for marching in any 
desii'ed direction. 



CHAPTER II 

Sliding. — This series of progressions in many ways furnishes the most valuable training of 
any group in the book, for sliding is one of the most basic elements of dancing. It is hardly 
possible to lay too much stress upon its importance as a preparation for future work and its 
relation to the rhythmic motor education of the child. Children show great individual differ- 
ences in skill in this movement, some can slide gracefully, lightly and naturally, and others 
exhibit almost a total inability to slide without special instruction. Classes are often disap- 
pointingly slow in learning to slide; but let the teacher feel assured that her patience will be 
well rewarded when the ability is at last acquired, for when a class has learned to slide with 
good knee action to the various tempi and use the feet alternately in series of slides, a mile- 
stone in their rhythmic education has been passed and because of the good foundation which 
has thus been laid all future progress will be correspondingly rapid. 

The sliding in this group does not involve the alternate use of the feet when sliding 
in any given direction. The sliding in these Action Plays is in the three directions, side- 
ways, forward and backward, with the same foot leading throughout the slide in any 
direction. Chapter VIII deals with the subject of sliding in the different directions when 
the feet are alternated. However, it will be seen that the first rhythm in this group 
("Playing Train") involves the alternate use of the feet. This movement can hardly be 
styled as the alternate use of the feet while sliding, for the movement is rather a scuff of 
the feet while walking, and is here inserted to serve as a transition from the marching in 
the preceding group. The skating rhythm in the second Action Play ("Santa Claus and 
the Christmas Tree") is also one single movement of the feet and does not necessitate 
the alternate use of the feet in series of two or more slides as is meant by the use of the 
word "sliding" in Chapter VIII. The sliding in this group is "walked" in "Peter Pan" 
(as the "follow step"). In this instance it is really easier for children to "dance" the 
step before they "walk" it and therefore the series is started with sliding. The order here 
for teaching should be, first sliding sideways, then forward and finally backward. It will 
be seen that the first games have quite a number of slides in one direction; this is because 
when a new movement is being acquired it is easier to repeat it over and over without 
stopping. After the children have learned to slide in the three directions, they may be 
taught to circle in place as in "Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat." When it is said "the children 
should have good knee action in sliding" it is not intended that the knee should be bent 
without reference to the action of the step. Nothing in dancing is more artificial than 
knee action which is not well co-ordinated with the movement. This incorrect use of 
the knees may often be observed in people who are inclined to be stiff and who adopt a 
springy, mincing walk to overcome the tendency. And j^et when teaching the children to 
slide, the teacher may be excused if she exaggerates the knee action in her effort to stimu- 
late the children to bend the knee of the active foot just preceding the slide of the foot. 
This example is particularly needed by those children who look like animated clothes pins 
when they slide. 



Progression for Teaching 

Playing Train. To Market. 

Here We Go on ^ Merry-go-round. Hickory Dickory Dock. 

Santa Claus and the Christmas Tree. Peter Pan. 

Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat. 

Gone. Three F\inny Old Men. 
Yankee Doodle (last half of song, see page 86.) 

36 



36 RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

PLAVINC TUAIN 

Irene E. Phillips Moses Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 




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Choo-00, choo-oo, choo-oo, choo-oo. 



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Chuff - a - chuff, chuff - a - chuff, 
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chuff - a - chuff, chuff - a - chuff! Choo-oo, choo-oo, choo-oo, choo-oo. 



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Chuff - a - chuff, chuff 



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a - chuff, chuff - a - chuff, chuff - a - chuff! 



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Choo-oo, choo-oo, choo-oo, choo-oo. Chuff - a 



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chuff, chuff - a - chuff, 

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RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



37 



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chuff - a - chuff, chuff - a - chuff! Choo-oo, choo-oo, choo-oo, choo-oo. 

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Chuff-a-chuff,chuff-a-chuff,chuff-a-chuff,chuff-a-chuff! Choo - oo 

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00 - 00 - 00. 



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Formation. — A single line or circle facing in line of direction with the hands upon 
the hips. 



Chuff-a-chuff, etc. 




Choo-oo, etc. 



Slightly bend the knees, scuff the right foot 
forward, keeping heel near the floor and re- 
peat same with left foot. 



Pout lips, keep teeth closed, while a U)ng, 
slow breath is exhaled through the teeth. 



Continue alternating to end of music, eight scuffs followed by four long breaths, 
which is supposed to represent a yard engine which starts to move, then stops and lets 
off steam. For variety the engine may back at times. This is a good breathing exorcise 
and furnishes a good training for four and eight part repeated action. It also gives valu- 
able training in acquiring skill in the alternate use of the feet in sliding. 



38 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
HERE WE GO ON A MERRV-GO-ROUND 



Irene E. Phillips Moses 
Lively 



American 




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Here we go on 



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mer - ry - go - round, mer - ry - go -round, 






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mer - ry - go-round. Here we go on a mer - ry - go-round, on a 



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start to move, 



start to move. 



This is the way we 



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start to move, on a li 



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RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANXES 



39 




Formation. — A single circle facing inward and clasping hands. 



/ . Here we go on a merry-go-round, 
merry-go-round, merry-go-round. 
Here ice go on a merry-go-round 
on a lion or a pony. 



2. This is the ivay we start 

to more, start to move, start to move. 

This is the loay we start 

to move on a lion or a 

pony. 



3. This is the way loe hurry up, 
hurry up, hurry up. 
This is the way we hurry up 
on a lion or a pony. 




4. This is the way we snatch a ring, 
snatch a ring, snatch a ring. 
This is the way we snatch a ring on 
a lion or a pony. 



All slide sideways right, around 
circle. 



Place right foot forward, alter- 
nately sway the weight to right 
and left foot, pointing the toe 
of the opposite foot. Hold 
arms bent as if holding reins. 




Maintaining the same position 
of the feet, leap forward on the 
right foot, raising the left leg 
backward; leap backward on 
the left foot and raise right 
foot forward. Continue alter- 
nately leaping fonvard and 
backward. The music should 
be played a little faster for 
this verse. 



Reach diagonally upward with 
right hand and in time to the 
music, snatch an imaginary 
ring with the index finger 
crooked. 



40 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
SANTA CLAUS AND THE CHRISTMAS TREE 



Irene E. Phillips Moses 



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Tinkle,tinkle,sleigh bells,Santa Claus I hear; Hip, hip,hip,hurrah, hail him with a cheer, 



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As down the chimney he quick-ly slides,And out of the fireplace he jumps and cries,Oh ! 



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see the shin - ing Christmas tree and all the nice chil-dren a - wait - ing me. 



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Then off the tree he takes a toy to give to some lit- tie girl or boy, But 

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first you must guess what it can be that San-ta has tak-en from off the tree. 



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RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



41 






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Oh!(Har - ry) has a sleigh to pull, A sleigh to pull, a sleigh to pull, Oh 



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sleigh 



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Har - ry 



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to pull, That San - ta gave him 



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Formation. — A single circle facing centre, hands clasped in circle. Some object in the 
centre of the circle to represent a Christmas tree. One of the children in the circle is 
chosen to represent Santa Claus. 



Tinkle, tinkle, sleigh bells, 
Santa Claus I hear; 
Hip, hip, hip, hurrah, 
hail him with a cheer, 

As dawn the chimney he quickly slides. 

And out of the fireplace he jumps and 
cries. 

Oh! see the shining Christmas tree and 
all the nice children awaiting me. 

Then off the tree he takes a toy to 
give to some Utile girl or boy. 



But first you mtist guess what it can 
be that Santa has taken from off the tree. 



Oh ! (Harry) has a sleigh to pull, etc. 



All slide to right around circle. 



Santa Claus steps back out of the circle and 
slides around circle to the left. 

Santa Claus enters the circle with a jump and 
runs to the centre. 

Santa Claus points to the tree and then to 
the children. 

Santa Claus thinks of some toy, then he goes 
up to tree and pretends to take off a toy. 

Santa Claus pretends he has a toy in his hands 
which he holds behind him. He goes up to 
some child in the circle who must guess what 
toy Santa pretends he has behind him. Should 
the child he approaches guess incorrectly, he 
goes to other children until he finds one who 
guesses correctly. 

The children all act out the toy which Santa 
selected, inserting in the verse the name of 
the child who guessed correctly and the toy 
guessed. 



The game may be repeated as many times as desired, the one who successfully guesses 
the selected toy becomes Santa Claus for the next repetition of the game. 

Suggestions for toys: a doll to rock, a piano to play, a horn to blow, a wheel to ride, a cradle 
to rock, blocks to build, some roller skates, some nice ice skates. 

Also see suggestions for "The Christmas Ships," page 98. 



42 RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

OH WHERE, OH WHERE IS MY LITTLE DO(; CiONE? 

Nursery Rhyme Old Tune 







Oh where, oh where is my lit-tle dog gone, Oh where,oh where can he be? . .With his 

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ears cut short,and his tail cut long, Oh where, oh where is he? . 



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A single circle is formed facing inward with the hands clasped. 
One of the players, the master, is in the centre of the circle. The 
circle moves around in line of direction, that is, the players slide 
sideways right. The master skips around the circle in the opposite 
direction, holding his hand to his forehead and looking from side to 
side as if to find his dog. At the end of the verse the circle halts 
on the last "be" and raises the clasped hands high. The master 
also halts at the same moment and the one before whom he stops is 
the little dog. The little dog immediatelj^ turns and runs away 
around the circle, or in and out under the clasped hands. Wher- 
ever the dog goes, the master must follow the same path in his 
efforts to catch him. After he has caught the dog the master may 
join the circle and the dog becomes the master, when the game begins anew. Should the 
master fail to catch the dog, after a reasonable chase, the dog may resume his former place 
in the circle and the game may begin again as before with the same master. 




This game helps to encourage the children to slide quickly and lightly and not drag, 
as they are liable to do at first, for all the children desire to hurry past the master so 
that he will not stop in front of them. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
TO .MAKKhVr 



43 



Mother Goose 

Moderato 



Irish Jig 



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Formation. — A single circle facing centre and all clasp hands in circle. 



/ . To market, to market, 
to buy a fat pig, 

2. Home again, home again, 
jiggity jig. 

3. To market, to market, 
to buy a fat hog, 

It. Home again, home again, 
joggity jog. 



1. All slide in four slides toward centre, right 
foot leading forward. 

2. Four slides out, left foot leading backward. 

3. Same as 1. 

4. Same as 2. 



44 RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

IIRKOUV, DICKOUV, DOCK 

Mother Goose Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 

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Hick-o - ry, Dick - o - ry, Dock, . The mouse ran up the clock; The 



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clock struck one and down he run, Hick-o- ry, Dick-o - ry, Dock. 



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Formation. — In a single circle facing inward. 



Hickory, Dickory, Dock, 
The mouse ran up the clock; 

The clock struck 

one 

and down he run, 

Hickory, Dickory, Dock. 



Stamp three times (left, right, left). 

Slide in toward centre of circle, right foot 
leading. 

Slowly raise hands forward chin high. 

Clap once. 

Slide backward, left foot leading. 

Stamp three times (right, left, right). 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
rKTKl{ 1»A\ 



45 



Irene E. Phillips Moses 

Modirato ~^ 

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1 . Pe - ter Pan ! Pe -ter Pan !S 

2. Tin-ker Bell! Tinker Bell! 

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evved his shadow on, 
Tin-kle all the day, ( 


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Oh ! then he was so ver - y glad to 
3h! what fun it is to have a . 

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was so ver - y glad to have it fol - low him. 
it is to have a . . • fai - ry lead the way. 



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Formation. — Double circle facing inward, inside circle clasping hands, outside circle 
with hands upon the shoulders of the one in front. 



46 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



Figure I. 

Peter Pan! Peter Pan! 
Sewed his shadow on, 



Oh ! then he was so very glad 
to have it follow him. 



Follow step sideways right. That is, step 
sideways right, bring the left heel up to the 
right and repeat, moving to right around circle. 

Quickly slide sideways around circle moving 
to the right. 



Repeat, figure moving to the left. 



Figure II. 

Tinker Bell! Tinker Bell! 
Tinkle all the day, 

Oh! what fun it is to have 
a fairy lead the way. 



Face in line of direction, form a single circle 
and march forward. 

Run forward around circle in line of direction. 



About face and repeat figure, moving in the opposite direction. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
PUSSY CAT, PUSSY CAT 



47 



Mother Goose 
Alley ro 



J. W. Elliott 



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Pus - sy cat, pus - sy cat.where have you been? I've been to Lon-don to 



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vis - it the Queen. 



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Pus - sy cat, pus - sy cat, what did you there? I 



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48 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



Formation. — A double circle, partners facing, No. I's in inside circle, No. II's in outside 



circle. 

No. I. 
Pnssij cat, 

pussy cat, 



Where have you been? 



Stamp right foot, stamp left foot and clap. 
Repeat. 




Place the right elbow on the back of the 
left hand and shake right forefinger 
four times by rotating the wrist. 



No. II. 
I've been to London to 
visit the Queen. 



No. I. 
Pussy cat, 

pussy cat, 

What did you there? 

No. I and II. 

7 frightened a little mouse 
under her chair. 




Curtsy. 



Same as above. 

Same as above. 

Shake finger same as above. 



No's. I and II clasp hands and slide around in 
place, circling to the right. 



The whole is repeated with No. II asking the question and No. I curtsying. 



i 



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RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

THREE FUNNY OLD MEN* 

W. H. Neidlinger 
cres. 



49 



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Three fun - ny old men from our town Went out for a walk one 



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day, The wind blew so strong that they turn - ed a - bout, And 



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walked the oth - er way, . . And walked the oth - er way. 



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* Printed by permission of G. Schirmer, 3 East 43d St., New York City. 



50 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



Formation, -In groups of three facing in line of direction. The two on the outside 
clasp their inside hands with the one in the middle. 




Three funny old men from our town 
Went out for a ivalk one day, 



Walk forward. 



The wind blew so strong that they 
turned about, 



Clasp hands in circles of three and slide 
around in place once and a half to the right. 




And walked the other way. 
And walked the other way. 



Drop outside hands and walk in opposite di- 
rection. 



CHAPTER III 

Knee, Hip and Ankle Action, — Graceful dancing requires that proper use be made of the 
knee joint supplemented by well co-ordinated ankle and hip action. Special attention should 
be directed early toward stimulating good knee action. In dancing, the knees have the same 
relative function as the springs of a carriage; that is, they should absorb all jar. Much of 
the fatigue attendant upon precipitant action is due to the shock of the blow, when the foot 
strikes the floor, being communicated to the spine and head through a stiff leg. In stamping, 
which is one of the simplest and most natural ways of accenting rhythm, the knee action is 
particularly important. Stamping is not only an ungraceful action, but positively injurious 
unless it is done properly. In fact, stamping in dancing is little more than a slap of the floor 
with the foot which^makes a loud noise. If the knee is first bent and raised high, a loud 
stamp may easily be made without interfering with the good carriage or disturbing the 
equilibrium and poise. 

The progressions in this group are so simple and the grading so obvious that a dis- 
cussion of their teaching is unnecessary. When they are taught, the Action Plays will 
be found to lead into each other quite naturally. 

Progression For Teaching. 
The Stork. The Motorman. 

See-saw No. I. Cock-a-doodle-doo. 

Goosey, Goosey Gander. The IMan in the Moon. 

Diddle, Diddle Dumpling. Bobby Shafto. 

Walking on Stilts. 



THE STORK 



Irene E. Phillips Moses 
Quickly 




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Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 



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The stork he is a fun - ny bird; I've of - ten heard it said, When 



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he gets tired he does not go and put him- self to bed, But 

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52 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



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stands up - on the oth - er foot and holds his toes up so, Un 

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til he wants to stretch his wings.then far a - way he'll go. 



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Formation. — A single circle standing facing the centre with the hands clasped. 



The stork he is a funny bird; 
I've often heard it said, 
When he gets tired he does not go 
and put himself to bed, 



But stands upon the other fool 
and holds his toes up so, 




Stand on one foot and flex the 
other knee, drawing foot up well 
toward thigh. 



Change and stand on other foot. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



53 



Until he wants to stretch his wings 
then far away he'll go. 

Flying miisic. 



Still standing on one foot let go of hands and slowly 
stretch arms sideways as if stretching wings. 

Face in line of direction, run around the circle moving 
arms up and down with the music to imitate flying. 



This may be given as one of the first rhythms, but in that case the teacher may sing 
the song as the children act it out. Also, no particular attention should be paid to the 
children's running in time to the music, as running to music is always hard, for at least 
a part of the class, and drill in acquiring the ability to run with a particular rhythm 
may well be left until farther along in the course. 



THE SEE-SAW, No. I 

For music, see page 92, Part I 

Formation. — A single circle, partners standing facing with sides to centre of circle and 
clasping each other's hands. 



^ee- 




Partner facing in line of direction 
bend knees and squat down to 
imitate low end of see-saw. 



saw, 




Partner facing clockwise bends 
knees and partner facing in line 
of direction at the same time 
straightens knees and stands up. 



Continue alternating as above described to the end of music. 



54 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
CiOOSEV, GOOSEY, (iAM)ER 



Mother Goose 



Swedish 




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Goo - sey, Goo - sey, Gan 



der, whith - er shall I wan 




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Up the stairs or down the stairs, or 



in 



the la - dy's cham - ber ? 



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The children form in a straight line, facing in line of direction. They all stand still 
while they sing "Goosey, Goosey Gander, whither shall I wander? Up the stairs, or down 
the stairs, or in the lady's chamber?" except the one at the foot of the line who runs 
forward and takes his place at the head of the line as leader. He answers their question 
by choosing one of the three. Should he say "upstairs" the line moves forward, raising 
the knees waist high at each step. Should he say "downstairs" the children all squat 
down and walk forward with bent knees. Should he say "in the lady's chamber" they 
walk forward on tip toes very quietly, so as not to wake the lady who is supposed to be 
asleep. 

Each child is leader for only one exercise. 

This game strengthens the legs and forces exaggerated knee action. Because it is a 
strong leg movement its effects will be to slow down the heart beat and draw the blood 
into the large muscles of the legs, which makes the game of value in quieting the class 
after violent exercise. The walking quietly on tip toes should encourage the children to 
step lightly, which many children find hard to do. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PL-\YS AND DANCES 
DIDDLE, DIDDLE DUMPLING* 



55 



Mother Goose 



Ethel Crowninshield 



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Diddle, diddle dumpling,my son John Went to bed with his stockings on ; 






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One shoe off and one shoe on, Did-dle, did-dle dump-ling, my son John. 



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Formation. — A single circle facing inward. 



Diddle, diddle dumpling, 




Run in place raising knees forward 
waist high. 



• From " Mother Goose Songs " by Ethel Crowninshield, printed by permission of Mn.TON Bradletv Company, 
Springfield, Mass. 



56 RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

my son John Three stamps (right, left, right). 

Went to bed with his Run in place. 

stockings on; Three stamps. 

One shoe off Raise right knee high, as if showing right shoe. 

and 

one shoe on, Raise left knee high, as if showing left shoe. 

Diddle, diddle dumpling, Run in place. 

my son John. Three stamps. 



This rhythm furnishes valuable drill in knee action, and is designed to stimulate the 
use of the knee in stamping. The preparatory run "Diddle, diddle dumpling" before 
the stamps "my son John" makes this use of the knee almost inevitable without conscious 
effort in that direction on the part of the child. The change in time for showing "One 
shoe off and one shoe on" is also an excellent drill in rhythm. 



Sloii-hj 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
WALKING OX STILTS 

Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 



57 










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The children may pretend they are walking on stilts by walking around the room stiff 
legged, swinging the leg as a whole from the hip. This is a splendid exercise for the 
back, as well as stimulating good hip action. The teacher may secure the proper form by 
suggesting that they will fall off the stilts if they bend the knees. This exercise is a good 
preparation for the "The Motorman," and the stiff legged runs in "Cock-a-doodle-doo" 
and "The Man in the Moon." The music should be played very slowly, with a decided 
accent on each step. 



THE MOTORMAX 



Irene E. Phillips Moses 



Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 



fin 



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Oh! 



Let's play 



that we're the mo - tor man, Who 



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taps his foot like this, who taps his foot like this: 



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Tip tap, tip tap, tip tap, tip tap, tip tap, tip tap, tip tap, tip tap, 



58 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



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tip tap, tip tap, tip tap, tip tap, tip tap, tip tap, tip tap, tip. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



59 



Formation. -The children may stand in single files so that they can all face the 
teacher and see her feet. 



Oh! let's play that we're the 
motorman, 




Raise leg as a whole from the floor 
by raising hip. The knee should 
be held stiff, same as in "Walking 
on stilts." 



Who taps his foot like this, 




Still holding the heel from the floor, 
extend the ankle and tap the floor 
with the ball of the foot. 



who taps his foot like this: 



Tip tap, 




Raise toe and tap floor again. 



Tap floor twice in succession. 



60 RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

The "tap steps" are among the most valuable exercises for young children. They 
are excellent to train the child in the regular recurrence of rhythmic sequence, they fur- 
nish a splendid drill for acquiring control of the legs; and, in fact, do wonders for young 
children who are nervous and lacking in self control. Care should be taken not to let 
the tapping degenerate :nto a "shuffle" by permitting knee action. There are several 
tempi which may be used with these steps. Three follow, which have proven successful 
in teaching beginners. 

1. Ringing the gong when the car starts. 

This is the rhythm with which to start the teaching, as the half note on the 
second tap gives the child an interval for the brain to send an impulse to repeat 
the tip tap. The music should be played very slowly at first and gradually 
increased. 

2. Ringing the gong when something is on the track. 

This rhythm is a little more difficult than the preceding, as after the second tap, 
the foot is immediately raised instead of being held on the floor by the half note 
of the first rhythm. The rest at the end of the measure gives an interval for 
the impulse to stimulate the repetition. 

3. The jingling of the gong as the motorman rushes along over crossings with a clear 
track and no stops. 

This rhythm is used after the movement becomes reflex and the taps can follow 
each other in quick succession. 

In all three of the preceding descriptions, it is intended that after the right foot has 
acquired the co-ordination, the left foot be used before passing on to the next rhythm. 

After these three rhythms have been mastered with the right and left foot, the chil- 
dren may abandon the analogy of the motorman and do straight tapping, that is, alternate 
the use of the feet by tapping twice right, then twice left. The same music should be 
used, beginning with the first rhythm and passing on to the others as ability to do so is 
evinced. The half note in the first rhythm will be as valuable to furnish an interval for 
the impulse to be sent to change feet, as it was to repeat the two taps with the same foot. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO 



61 



Mother Goose 
J. Modem to 



Traditional Tune 



accel. 




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Cock - a - doo - die - doo! . My dame has lost her shoe, My 






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mas - ter's lost his fid - die stick And don't know what to do. 



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Formation. — A single circle facing in line of direction, dancers with hands on hips. 



THE ROOSTER STRIDE 



Cock- 




Bend right knee upward 
waist high. 



62 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



a-doodle- 




Straighten knee straight for 
ward slowly. 



dool 



My 

dame has lost 

her shoe, 



Place right foot forward on floor and raise left 
heel. 

Bend left knee. 

Straighten left knee. 

Place left foot forward on floor and raise right 
heel. 



THE ROOSTER RUN 



My master's lost his fiddle stick 
And don't know what to do. 



Run forward on toes, beginning with right foot, 
keeping the knees stiff and raising the foot 
high, taking long steps. The arms may be 
bent and elbows moved up and down to imi- 
tate the movement of wings. 



To vary the monotony of the words of the single verse, the following verses may be used, 
if desired, as the dance is repeated. 



Cock-a-doodle-doo! 
What is my dame to do? 
Till master finds his fiddle stick 
She'll dance without her shoe. 



Cock-a-doodle-doo! 
My dame will dance with you, 
While master fiddles his fiddling stick 
For dame and doodle-doo. 



Cock-a-doodle-doo! 

My dame has lost her shoe 

And master's found his fiddle stick, 

Sing doodle-doodle-doo. 



Cock-a-doodle-doo! 
Dame has lost her shoe, 
Gone to be bed, cap on head, 
And can't tell what to do. 



The game is designed to give control of the legs and combine the previous drill in 
knee action with a second element, the run, which makes this a two-part dance and there- 
fore a progression on the preceding rhythms. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AXD DAXXES 
THE MAN IN THE MOON. 



63 



Mother Goose 
Moderato 



Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 



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The Man in the Moon Came down too soon And asked his way tO Nor - wich. He 



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went by the south And burned his mouth 



Eat - ing cold bean por - ridge. 




CHORUS 

Nursery Rhjnne 
Moderato 



Traditional 



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Bean por-ridge hot, Bean por-ridge cold, Bean por-ridge in the pot, Nine days old. 




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Some like it hot. Some like it cold. Some like it in the pot, Nine days old. 



64 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



Formation. — A single circle arranged in partners and all facing in line of direction. 
Arms folded high on chest. 



The man in the moon 
Came down too soon 
And asked his way to 




All run forward in line of direction 
taking long stiff legged strides. 



Norwich. 

He went by the south 
And burned his mouth 
eating cold 

bean porridge. 



All about face with two jumps. 



Run forward in opposite direction. 



Partners face each other by every other one 
in the circle facing in line of direction. 



CHORUS 
Partners, facing each other, do "Bean porridge hot." 



Bean 

porridge 

hot. 

Bean 

porridge 

cold, 

Bean 

porridge 

in the 

pot, 



Clap thighs. 

Clap their own hands. 

Clap partner's hands, face high. 

Clap thighs. 

Clap own hands. 

Clap partner's hands. 

Clap thighs. 

Clap own hands. 

Clap partner's hands. 

Clap own hands. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 65 

Nine Clap partner's right hand. 

days Clap own hands. 

old. Clap partner's left hand. 

Some Clap thighs. 

like it Clap own hands. 

hot, Clap partner's hands. 

Some Clap thighs. 

like it Clap own hands. 

cold, Clap partner's hands. 

Some Clap thighs. 

like it Clap own hands. 

in the Clap partner's hands. 

pot, Clap own hands. 

Nine Clap partner's right hand. 

days Clap own hands. 

old. Clap partner's left hand. 



66 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
liOHin SllAFTO 



Mother Goose 
March time 



Old Tune 



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Bob - by Shaf - to's gone to sea, Pret - ty Bob - by Shaf - to, 



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Sil - ver buck - les on his knees, Pret - ty Bob - by Shaf - to 

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Formation. — A single file marching forward in line of direction 
Bohhij Shafto's gone to sea, 

Pretty Bobby Shafto, March forward, hands at sides 



March forward, clap hands above head four 
times. 



Silver 



buckles 









: ^ 18^ 


I -h 





Raise right knee and clap hands 
over knee. 



Raise left knee and clap hands 
over knee. 



on his 
knees, 
Pretty Bobby Shafto. 



Clap over right knee. 

Clap over left knee. 

March forward, hands at sides. 



As soon as possible the children should stop singing and do the actions without the 
words. This will progress them to acting out rhythms without words. 



CHAPTER IV 

Hippity Hops, Skips and Jigs. — Frequently it is rather puzzling to detect the exact 
differences in form between the various hops, skips and jig steps. In truth, many of 
these simple steps differ only in their tempo and the interval in the hop when the body 
weight is adjusted, the mechanism of the steps being practically the same. The dancer 
steps forward on one foot and then as he hops on it he raises the other foot from the 
floor by bending the knee; that is, the dancer may first step on the right foot, then as he 
hops on] the right foot he bends the left knee, raising the left foot from the floor. In 
the jig steps this hop is very quick and low, hardly more than a shoving of the foot 
along the floor. As the hop is done very quickly there is little time given for raising 
the opposite foot from the floor and hence very little hip action is used to raise the 
foot. The tempo of the hippity hop is slower and therefore the hop is higher, the hip 
and knee action more vigorous, which results in raising higher both the knee and foot. 
The term skip is used rather loosely but generally it is a more even rhythm than the 
jig or hippity hop and its tempo is about half way between them. Because it is the 
most even rhythm it is the most simple and therefore should be taught first. Most 
children naturally know how to skip, but some find it a difficult action to acquire. 
Such children should be treated with great patience. First, the teacher should satisfy 
herself that the children have no foot trouble. "Weak foot" precludes all spring from 
the step and may often be detected in children who run flat footed. Walking and 
running on tip-toes help to prepare for the skips by strengthening the muscles of the feet. 
Sometimes the slow members of the class may be taught to skip by running on their toes, 
taking as long steps as possible. The whole series of rhythms in the preceding chapters 
will be found helpful as a preparatory drill for the hippity hops, skips and jigs. Not 
infrequently children experience difficulty with the time rather than the mechanism of 
the step. In which event they may be able to do the step once or twice but will show 
difficulty in keeping up the rhythmic sequence of recurrent action. More simple rh>^hmic 
actions should be given as an introductory, such as clappings, stamps, etc. If the follow- 
ing progression is slowly and carefully taught it is not likely that much trouble will be 
experienced by the class with either the tempo or mechanism of the step. In Part One 
the advisability of first "walking a step" was expressed, that is, to give the mechanism of 
the step without any jump or raising of the body from the floor. It will be seen in the 
following progression that this plan has been adhered to. Begin with the swaying move- 
ment in "Hush-a-bye Baby." Next give "See-saw, No. 11" in which the swaying from 
side to side in part I is done by alternately raising the feet sideways. This movement 
merges into part II where a hop is added. Swaying forward and backward is harder than 
swaying sideways and may next be introduced in "2" of the "Here We Go on a Merry- 
go-round." This in turn may merge into the leap forward and backward of "3" of the 
same Action Play. After having mastered the foregoing stages, the mechanism of the step 
will have been acquired and the class should be prepared to take up in the indicated 
succession the remaining games of the group which will give practice in the different 
tempi. 

Progression for Teaching 

Hush-a-bye Baby. Dame, Get Up and Bake Your Pies. 

See-saw, No. II. Ride a Cock Horse. 

Here We Go on a Merry-go-round. Hippity Hop to the Barber Shop. 
Old King Cole. 



G8 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
HUSH-A-IJYE UABV 



Old Nursery Rhymes 



Traditional 



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Hush - a - bye ba 



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by, on the tree top; 



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And when the wind 



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era - die will fall, 



And down will come rock - a - bye ba - by and 



all. 



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"»" I ^. 

Formation. — A single circle facing inward, and holding the arms as if carrying a doll. 
A child, chosen to be "it," stands in the centre. 

Hush-a-bye baby, on the tree top; Standing with the feet well separated, sway the 

And when the wind blows the weight alternately to the right and left foot, point- 

cradle will rock, ing the opposite toe, and at the same time swing 

And when the bough the arms up sideways as if swinging a doll. 





RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



69 



breaks 




Clap hands above head to 
imitate the crack of the bough. 



the cradle will fall, and 



down 



toill come rock-a-bye baby and all. 



Lower arms forward as if showing the direc- 
tion of the fall of the cradle. 

This word is the signal for the children to all 
fall down in place. 

The last child to fall down is "it" and ex- 
changes places with the one in the centre. 
The game is then repeated as before. 



SEE-SAW, \o. II 

For music see page 92. 
Formation. — A single circle facing centre, hands on hips. 
Part I. 



See- 




Step on right foot and raise 
left leg sideward left. 



70 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



saw, 




Step on left foot and raise 
right leg sidewards right. 



This represents the action of the one who stands upon the see-saw and "pumps." Con- 
tinue same action to end of Part I of music. 



Part II. 

Step sideways on right foot and hop, raising left leg sideward. 
Step sideways on left foot and hop, raising right leg sideward. 
Continue same action to end of Part II of music. 



Part III. 

All clasp hands in circle. Run forward eight steps toward centre of circle, beginning 
with right foot. Stamp twice (right, left) on "what fun." 

Run backward eight steps and stamp twice on "what fun." 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
OLD KING COLE 



71 



Nursery Rhyme 
., Briqhlhj 



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Adapted by 
Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 



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Old King Cole was a mer -ry old soul, And a mer-ry old soul was he; 

■« - -ft 



He 






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called for his pipe And he called for his bowl, And he called for his fid -dlers 



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three, And he called for his fiddlers three, And he called for his fiddlers three. 

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Ev-ery fid-dler had a ver - y fine fid-die, A ver - y fine fid-die had he, And 



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we'll all fid -die for Old King Cole And be as mer-ry as he. 



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72 RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

Formation. — A single circle facing in line of direction, with one chosen for Old King 



Cole. 



Old King Cole was a merry old soul, 
And a merry old soul was he; 
He called for his pipe 
And he called for his bowl 



Move forward around the circle in line of 
direction with jig steps. 



And 



Halt and face centre of circle. 



he called for his fiddlers three, 
And he called for his fiddlers three, 
Arid he called for his fiddlers three. 
Every fiddler had a very fine fiddle, 
A very fine fiddle had he, 
And we'll all fiddle for Old King Cole 
And be as merry as he. 



This is a game in which King Cole may call 
for whatever action he desires, and each time 
the chosen action is named in the song the 
children go through the motion chosen. 



Suggestions for actions which may be called for: Jumpers, drummers, clappers, point- 
ers, hoppers, leapers, runners (in place), bowers, nodders, stretchers, shakers. 




RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

DAME, GET UP AND BAKE YOUR PIES 

Old Nursery Rhyme Traditional 









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Dame, get up and bake your pies, Bake your pies, bake your pies, 

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Dame, get up and bake your pies, On Christmas day in the morn 



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Formation. — A single circle facing in line of direction with the dame kneeling in the 
centre, pretending to be asleep by closing her eyes and leaning her cheek on her hands. 




The children all skip around circle in line of direction as they sing the song. After 
singing the whole of the song, the children halt and face inward, at the same time the 
dame wakes up and points her finger over her shoulder at some child behind her in the 
circle, of whom she asks, "What kind of pies shall I bake? Pumpkin, mince or cranberry?" 
The child to whom she points must answer one of the three kinds of pie. The dame tries 
to guess from the answer who has spoken. Should she succeed she may take the place 
in the circle of the child whose name she guessed correctly and this child becomes the 
new dame. Should the dame fail to recognize the voice, she must continue to act as the 
dame and the game proceeds as before. 



74 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
RIDE A COCK HOUSE 



Mother Goose 



Old Tune— Adapted 




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Ride a cock horse to Ban-bu-ry Cross,To see a fine la-dy up-on a white horse.With 



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rings on her fin-gers and bells on her toes,She shall have mu-sic wher-ever she goes. 



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Formation. — A single circle facing in line of direction. 



Ride a cock horse to Banbury 
Cross, To see a fine lady upon 
a white horse. 

With 

rings on 

her fingers 



Jig forward moving around circle in line of 
direction. 



Halt and face inward. 

Raise right hand sideward opposite right ear 
and shake right hand. 

Shake left hand opposite left ear. 



and bells on 



her toes, 




She shall have music wherever 
she goes. 



Raise right foot sideward and 
shake it twice. 



Shake left foot twice. 



Turn to the left in place with jig steps. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
HIPPITY HOr TO THE IJARBER SHOP 



75 



Arranged by 
Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 






s 



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d 



Hip - pi - ty hop to the bar - ber shop To buy a stick of can - dy, 



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One 


for you 


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for sis - 


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Formation. — Double circle, partners clasping hands and facing in line of direction. 



Hippity hop to the barber shop 
To buy a stick of candy, 
Hippy hop to the barber shop 
To buy a stick of candy, 



Hippity hop forward beginning with right 
foot and swinging clasped hands backward 
and forward with each step. 
Repeat. 



One for you 




Face partner. 

Claphands and stretch armstoward 
partner waist high with palms fac- 
ing upward. 



'6 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



and one for me 




Clap hands and place tips of fin- 
gers on own chest. 



and one for sister Annie. 



Clasp right hands and hippity hop in circle 
around to left, and on to the next partner to 
the right. 



The changing of partners is too difficult for children at this stage of the course and 
should be given at some later date. Instead the partners may circle in place without the 
change. 



CHAPTER V 

Balance Step and Point Step. — The balance step defined in the glossary may be 
taught by the following progression. Review the swaying movement in "Hush-a-bye 
Baby"; this will teach the sideward movement; next review the leg raising sideward in 
"See-saw, No. II." Then with the "Leg over Leg" music on page 90, step alternately 
sideward as in the "See-saw" but instead of raising the leg sideways swing it forward and 
across the body, keeping the knee stiff. After the class has learned to swing the legs 
alternately forward and across the body, the toe may be lowered and touch the floor 
on each swing so that the children do alternate toe touch forward. When this move- 
ment has been acquired they may be given "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, No. I" to 
learn heel raising. The toe touch forward, combined with heel raising of the supporting 
foot in the balance step of "Come, My Dolly," will be found to be a natural sequence. 

The point step is an alternate toe touch forward or backward followed by a step in 
the same direction. Practice in this step is given in "The Fireflies' Dance," where three 
running steps precede the point, and in "The Fairies' Moonlight Dance." 



Progression for Teaching 

Leg over Leg. (Music.) 

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, No. I. 

Come, My Dolly. 

The Fireflies' Dance. 

The Fairies' Moonlight Dance. 



78 RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

TWINKLE, TWINKLE, LITTLE STAR, No. I 

For music see page 126 

Formation. — A single circle, partners standing facing each other, with their hands 
clasped and sides to the centre of the circle. 



1. Twinkle, twinkle, 




Raise on toes and raise hands high 
above head. Then lower heels and 
hands — and repeat. 



2. little star, 

3. How I wonder 
Jt. what you are, 

5. Up above 

6. the world so high, 

7. Like a diamond 

8. in the sky. 



Partners change places by circling in place 
with two slides, beginning with the right foot. 



Same as 1. 
Same as 2. 
Same as 1. 
Same as 2. 
Same as 1. 
Same as 2. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
COME, MY DOLLY* 



Lydia Avery Coonley 
AUeriretto qruziom 



Eleanor Smith 



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Come, my dol - ly, come with me, Dance be - neath the ap - pie tree. 










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Wings of pink and ro - sy crovvTi. 



See the blos-soms fly - ing down. 






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Catch them, dolly, in your gown, Catch them.dolly, in your gown. While the sun sees 



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•From "Singing Verses for Children" (Macmillan & Co.) by the kind permission of the author. 



80 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



1 



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you and me Dancing 'neath the ap - pie tree, Dancing 'neath the ap-ple tree. 



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Formation. — A single circle facing in line of direction. 



1 . Come, my dolly, come with me, 
Dance beneath the apple tree. 




" Balance step " forward alternately- 
right and left. The hands may be 
reached forward as if holding a 
dolly's hands. The arms should 
swing from side to side with the 
step. 



2. See the blossoms 



flying down, 




Raise arms forward upward. 



Lower arms forward downward 
fluttering hands to imitate falling 
petals. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



81 



3. Wings of pink 



and rosy crown. 




Raise arms sideways upward. 



Lower arms sideways downward flut- 
tering hands. 



4- Catch theyn, dolly, 



in your goivn, 




Raise the skirt slightly, holding the 
hem with both hands, at the same 
time look upward and raise on toes. 



Lower heels. 



5. Catch them, dolly, in your gown. 

6. While the sun sees you and me 
Dancing 'neath the apple tree, 



Repeat 4. 
Repeat 1. 



7. Dancing 'neath the apple tree. 



Curtsy. 



82 



RHYTHiMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
THE FIREFLIES DANCE 



Irene E. Phillips Moses 



Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 






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RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 83 

Formation. — A single circle facing inward, partners I and II standing side by side. 




1 . Flicker, flicker, fireflies, 

2. flash and dart, 

3. Tiny little fireflies 

4. dancing in the dark. 

5. Won't you tell your secret, 

6. where it is you go? 

7. I have often wondered 

8. and I want so much to know. 

9. When you flicker, flicker, flicker, 

10. flash and dart, 

11. I never see you afterward, 

12. where is it you depart? 

IS. Oh! flicker, flicker, fireflies, 
H. dancing in the dark. 

15. Tiny little specks of light, 

16. flash and dart. 



Beginning with the right foot, run three 
steps inward toward centre of the circle and 
point left toe forward. 

Beginning with the left foot, run three steps 
backward and point right toe forward. 

Same action as 1. 

Same action as 2. 

All face in line of direction. Both beginning 
with the right foot, No. I's run three steps in 
place and point left toe forward. No. 11 's 
nan forward three steps and stop at left of 
partner, pointing left toe forward. 

Partners clasp inside hands. Beginning with 
the left foot, all run forward three steps and 
point right toe. 

Beginning with the right foot, all run forward 
in line of direction three steps and point left toe. 

Same action as 6. 

Partners let go of hands and turn facing part- 
ner, beginning with the right foot, run forward 
passing partner on the right and point left toe 
forward. 

Beginning with the left foot, run three steps 
backward, passing to the right of partner, and 
point right toe forward. 

Same action as 9. 

Same as action 10. 

Same action as 5. 

Same action as 6. 

Same action as 7. 

Same action as 6. 



84 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
THE FAIRIES' MOONLIGHT DANCE 

Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 



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The "point step" is one of the simplest in dancing, but 
also one which Httle children perform the most clumsily. To 
make the point a dainty motion rather than a dig into the 
floor with the toe, a setting such as the following may be used. 

First tell the children some fairy story to impress upon 
them what delicate, shy and light little creatures the fairies are 
and how quietly they move. After the story the teacher may 
suggest that the children pretend they are fairies and have a 
moonlight dance. The dance may be supposed to take place 
under a spider web for a tent which is situated in a field, wood 
or park. The ground may be covered with daisies and violets. 
As it is night the fairies will not want to awaken the flowers, 
so they will carefully push them aside, with the toe, before 
they step. That is, before each step they may push a flower 
aside. The teacher may accompany and direct the action by a 
sing song such as "push a daisy, step; push a violet." The 
very slowly at first. 




music should be played 



CHAPTER VI 

The Step Hop. — In teaching steps which require the leg to be raised and swung 
forward or backward without bending the knee, such as in the "Aesthetic Schottisch 
Step," the "Step Hop," etc., some difficulty is frequently encountered in getting the 
children to raise the leg as a whole. The natural impulse seems to be, when the leg is 
raised, to lift the foot perpendicular to the floor by bending the knee, as in the jigs and 
skips. For this reason jigs and skips should be taught before the step hop. The mechan- 
ism of this step is to step forward or backward and hop, at the same time raising the 
leg either forward or backward with the knee stiff. Swinging the leg across forward in 
the preceding chapter has directly prepared for the progression in this group. To teach 
this step, let the children do the stepping from side to side with the "Leg over Leg" 
music and swinging the leg forward as before, except they may give a little hop each 
time the word "jump" appears in the song. After the children have caught the idea of 
the step followed by the jump, they may hop after each jump. "Yankee Doodle" may 
now be given in which the first action is the step hop raising the opposite leg backward, 
which is very like the jig steps. "Jack Be Nimble" may easily follow, in which the leg 
is raised forward. 



Progression for Teaching 

Leg over Leg. (Music.) 

Yankee Doodle. 

Jack Be Nimble. 

Leg over Leg. (Game.) 

Jack and Jill, No. I. 



86 



86 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
YANKEE DOODLE 



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RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DAXCES 87 

Formation. — A single circle facing in line of direction with the hands on the hips. 



Eight pacing steps fon\-ard in line 
of direction, that is, step forward 
on right foot, knee slightly bent, 
incline body diagonally forward 
right. At the same time raise the 
left leg backward, and hop on right 
foot. Same left and repeat alter- 
nating right and left. 



Yankee Doodle went to town 
a-riding on a pony, 



He 



stuck 





Halt and face centre of circle. 



Raise right hand and point right 
forefinger toward head. 



a feather 




Point forefinger upward to repre- 
sent feather. 



in his cap 




Point forefinger toward head. 



88 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



And called him 




Bow and place tips of fingers on 
chest. 



Macaroni. 




Step back on right foot and curtsy, 
bowing well forward and extend- 
ing arms sideways shoulder high. 



Yankee Doodle, Ha, Ha, Ha, 
Yankee Doodle 

Dandy. 

Yankee Doodle, Ha, Ha, Ha, 
Buy the girls some 

candy. 



Clasp hands in circle and slide around circle 
to the right. 

Stamp (right, left). 

Slide around circle to right. 

Clap twice. 



This dance must be done vivaciously. If the children are stimulated to execute it 
with spirit, it is a very popular dance. When included in a program of foreign Folk 
Dances to give a touch of American spirit it has been greeted with very enthusiastic 
applause. 



Mother Goose 
Lively 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

JACK BE NIMBLE 

Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 



89 




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Formation.— A single circle facing in line of direction. 




Some child, or the teacher, holds a blackboard pointer, or similar stick, a suitable 
distance from the floor and the children move in line of direction with the step hop, rais- 
ing the active foot well forward. As each child comes to the stick he jumps over it. The 
height at which the stick is held may be gradually increased as the class acquires skill 
in jumping. 



90 



Mother Goose 






RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
LEG OVER LEG 






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the dog went to Do - ver, He 





came 



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Formation. — A single circle, facing inward. Two children stand in the centre of the 
circle swinging a jumping rope (the stile). 




Leg over leg as the dog went to 

Dover, 

He came to a stile 



and jump he went over. 



All step hop in place or stand still except 
one child. At each repetition of this part of 
verse, the children in turn step hop forward 
from the circle to the jumping rope. 

The child then jumps the rope and as the first 
of the verse is being repeated, he returns to 
his place in the circle. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 01 

JACK AM) .IIIJ., No. I 

For music see page 103 
Formation. — Double circle, partners standing side by side, facing in line of direction. 



Jack and Jill 

Went up the hill 

To fetch a pail of water. 




Four step hops forv^•ard in line 
of direction. 



Jack fell down 
And broke his crown 



And Jill came tumbling after. 




Jack kneels in place. Jill 
stands still. 



Jill kneels beside Jack. 



CHAPTER VII 

The Hop Waltz.— The "Hop Waltz," or more properly the "Step Hop Waltz," is 
a Folk Dance step of considerable difficulty and is too advanced for small children. A 
modified form often used is given here, as children greatly enjoy "hop waltzing." It is 
danced in couples with constant turning as in the round dances. Partners stand facing 
each other, their clasped hands being held out at the sides about shoulder high. They 
both step in line of direction with outside feet and hop once, then step on the opposite 
feet and hop. This stepping and hopping on alternate feet they continue as they move 
in line of direction around the room, turning slightly on each step. In teaching this 
step, it is taken sideward, but when the couples get to turning they may step in any 
desired direction, e.g., one of the partners may step backward and the other follow his 
movement by stepping forward. To teach the step, review the "See-saw, No. 11" which 
teaches the mechanism of the step in place, but not in couples. In part 1 of "See-saw, 
No. Ill" the step is "walked in place" in couples. Little difficulty will be experienced 
in acquiring the "Hop Waltz" in part 2, if before trying to move in line of direction^ 
the tui'n be done in place until the ability to turn is mastered. 

Progression for Teaching 
See-saw, No. Ill 



S-EE-SAW, No. Ill 









Part I 
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RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



Formation. — A double circle, partners facing and clamping hands. The inside circle, 
A's, facing outward, outside circle, B's, facing centre of circle. 



Part I. 



1. Represents action of see-saw. 



See- 




"A" bend knees and squat 
down. 



saw, 




"B" Bend knees and squat 
down. "A" straighten knees 
and stand up. This alternate 
squatting down and straight- 
ening up of "A" and "B" 
is the action for "see-saw" 
throughout Part I. 



2. Represents the action of the one who stands on centre of board to balance it. 



Now we're up or down 



"A" steps sideways left. 

"B" steps sideways right, then 

"A" steps sideways right. 

"B" steps sideways left, then 

"A" steps sideways left. 

"B" steps sideways right, then 

bring heels together. 



Now we're off for 
London town. 



Same action as above. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



95 



Part II. 



Boys and girls come 
out to play, 



Same action as above. 



On this our holiday. 



Same action as above. 




Part III. 



1. Ha, ha, etc. 



2. what fun, 

3. Ha, ha, etc. 
U. what fun. 



Hop waltz with partner, progressing in line of direction 
around circle. 



Bend forward and run with partner in line 
of direction, holding inside hands. On last 
"ha" lean backward and place inside heels 
forward, toe pointing upward. 

Raise hands, looking at partner. "A" claps 
hands twice at left side of face. "B" claps 
hands twice at right side of face. 

Same as 1, except point outside heels forward. 

Same as 2. 



CHAPTER VIII 

Sliding with Alternate use of the Feet. — One reason why many find it difficult to 
teach the waltz and two step to children is because these steps require more than one 
single movement to be made with the feet. In all such actions as walking, running 
and climbing the feet are used • alternately for a single action. Therefore this group has 
been placed after those which are supposed to prepare for it by teaching series of move- 
ments repeated alternately in rhythmic sequence. These games are neither expected or 
intended to teach the two step and waltz, which have been left for later instruction, but it 
does aim to give the child a good preliminary training which will aid in the teaching of 
these more difficult steps. The "face to face and back to back" figure which is found 
in many Folk Dances appears here in a modified form suitable for little children. There 
are no "cuts," "heel raising" or turning on balls of the feet. These points should not 
be emphasized with beginners. 

This progression should be preceded by a review of "Playing Train" and "Pussy 
Cat, Pussy Cat." In this chapter is the first use of counts and it has been thought wise 
here to make the transition to the more formal teaching of dancing. The^child has learned 
the mechanism of sliding in Chapter II. In the succeeding chapters he has learned to 
execute actions in various series, as in "Bobby Shafto" (series of four movements). Now 
that he can follow the music and do these movements let him count the slides instead of 
saying the words of^the song. Let the class count the scuffs in "Playing Train," the claps 
in "Bobby Shafto" and the step hops in the "Step Hop Waltz." The class may then be 
formed into a straight line (with the "Children Sliding" music) slide forward around the 
room, sliding four slides alternately right and left. If the teacher desires she may vary 
this sliding and alternate the slides with four claps or four stamps in place. After the 
class has acquired the ability to slide four times, then it may in the same manner do three 
slides with alternate feet with "The Fairies' Moonlight Dance" music. From this they 
can easily progress to the two slides using "The Christmas Ships" music. In this group 
in particular it is well to keep in mind the mental and physical processes involved in ac- 
quiring new co-ordinations, for progress is often slow and much repeating may be necessary. 

The "face to face and back to back" movements of "Brownies and Fairies" and 
"Jack and Jill," No. II, will be easily mastered after the preceding exercises. 



Progression for Teaching 

Review: 

Playing Train. Brownies and Fairies. 

Bobby Shafto. Jack and Jill, No. II. 

Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat. The Little Nut Tree. 

Children sliding. 

The Fairies' Moonlight Dance. (Music.) 

The Christmas Ships. 



00 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

CHILDKIA SLIDING 

Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 



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THE CIIIUSTMAS SHIPS 

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I saw three ships come sail - ing by, 
What do you think was in them then, 



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saw three ships come sail - ing by. On Christmas day in the morn - ing. 
do you think was in them then. On Christmas day in the morn - ing? 




Formation. — Standing in groups of three side by side facing in line of direction 
inside hands clasped. 



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Two step forward around circle in line of direction through first two verses. Some 
child is then allowed to choose a toy which they all act out. Suggestions for such actions 
follow: 



A bright red sleigh to draw you on, 
draw you on, draw you on, 
a bright red sleigh to draw you on, 
on Christmas day in the morning. 

Some roller skates to skate with you, etc. 

A jack-in-the-box to jump at you, etc. 



All run around the circle in line of direction 
holding their hands behind them as if pulling 
a sleigh. 

Skate around circle in line of direction. 

Jump up in place each time the word jump 
appears in the verse. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



9'J 



A drum to heat with a rub-a-dub-dub, etc. 

A box of soldiers tliat stand up 
straight, etc. 

A hook ayid ladder to run to a fire, etc. 

A top that will spin a long, long time, 
etc. 

A rocking horse that rocks this way, 
etc. 



A grasshopper that jumps and hops, etc. 



Shake hands as if beating a roll on the drum. 

Stand up very stiff and straight to imitate 
tin soldiers. 

Gallop around circle in line of direction. 

Turn quickly in place and spin around the 
circle. 

To rock: Place right foot forward and sway 
weight to right foot slightly raising left leg 
backward. Sway weight to left foot and 
slightly raise right foot forward. 

On each word "jump" or "hop," jump for- 
ward with a short jump with both feet, trying 
to land on toes with knees bent. 



This game may be continued as long as desired. After each toy is chosen, the two 
step forward is repeated. The children take turns choosing the toys. 



100 



Irene E. Phillips Moses 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

imOWNIES AND FAIRIES 

Arranged by Emily Perkins Wells 




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gins our day ; 



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RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



101 



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As we 



frisk the dew doth fall, 



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Trip it, lit - tie 



ur - chins all, 



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Two by two so light and free, All 



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The fairies (giris) kneel in groups of five 
close together with their hands on their knees, 
pretending to be asleep under a toadstool. 
The brownies (boys) stand close together in 
circles of five with their hands clasped to form 
hollow trees. If the class cannot be arranged 
well in groups of five, any other convenient 
number may be used. It is not necessary that 
the brownies and fairies be boys and girls; in 
fact, it is frequently both wise and desirable 
to avoid such a separation of the class. 



Fire little fairies under 
a toadstool, all sleeping 
soundly while children 
are at school; 




All keep still. 



102 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



Now the moon is shining, watch them 

creep out, 

1-2-3-4-5 dancing about. 



The fairies stand up and raise their clasped 
hands high. One of the fairies, previously 
chosen, lets go of the hand of her neighbor to 
the left and walks under the clasped hands of 
two fairies to her left, at the same time pull- 
ing the string out after her so that all of the 
fairies pass out under the arch and form a 
straight line. The last fairy in the line should 
turn under her own arm. The various groups 
of fairies then clasp hands in one big circle 
in the centre of the room and slide around 
the circle during the second verse. 



Fire little brownies 
hidden in a tree. 
As secret and as safe 
as ever could be, 




Brownies stand still. 



Now watch them come 
stealing out of a hole 
To dance with little fairies 
on a grassy knoll. 




The brownies creep out 
the same as the fairies. 
After the brownies have 
pulled their lines out 
straight, they let go of 
hands and run forward, 
each taking a fairy by the 
hand. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



103 



DANCE. 

Partners face each other clasping inside hands, brownies facing inward and fairies with 
backs to the center of the circle. 

By the moon we sport and play, 

With the night begins our day; 

As we frisk the dew doth fall, <,„ ,, j i. i . ■. ^ ,, 

rr, ■ •; I,.! , • 7; Face to face and back to back 

Trip it, little urchins all, . . , , . , . 

rr I J 11, J : moving forward around circle in 

Two by two so light and free, ,. , ,. .. . n i-j , 

.„,,,, line of direction; i.e., all slide four 
All about, about go we. ,.j -j 1 • v i- i- 

slides sideward in line of direction, 

partners facing and holding clasped 
hands high and peeking at each 
other in front of arms. Then swing 
arms downward and up and turn 
back toward partner and slide four 
slides sidewards in line of direction, 
peeking at partner behind arms. 
Continue alternating four slides fac- 
ing then four slides back to back 
until end of music. If it is desired 
to make the dance longer, the sec- 
ond half of music may be repeated 
at the discretion of the teacher. 




Mother Goose 
Li cell/ 



-^i 



JACK AND JILL, Xo. II 

Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 



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Jack and Jill went up the hill To get a pail of wa - ter. 






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Jack fell down and broke his crown,And Jill came tumb-ling af 



ter. 



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104 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



Formation. — A double circle in couples, partners facing, inside hands clasped and held 



high. 

Jack and Jill 

went up the hill 

To fetch a pail of water. 



"Face to face and back to back"; i.e., 
partners take two slides sideways in line of 
direction with outside feet, then swing arms 
down. between and up again, turning back to 
back and sliding two slides in line of direction 
with inside feet, and repeat. 
For pictures, see page 103. 



Jack fell down 




Jack kneels on right knee. 



and broke his crown, 
And Jill came 



Jill two steps or jigs around Jack, passing in 
front of him. 



tumbling after. 




Jill kneels beside Jack. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
THE LITTLE NUT TREE 

Old Nursery Rhyme Old English 



100 



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I had a lit - tie nut 



tree, noth - ing would it bear, 



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But a sil -ver nut - meg, and a golden pear; The King of Spain's daughter 

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came to vis-it me, 



And all for the sake of my lit - tie nut tree. 



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Formation. — Two concentric circles facing each other, a ^ " \ oi the King of 

(son ) * 

Spain being designated in the outer circle. 



I had a little nut tree, 
nothing ivould it bear, 
But a silver nutmeg, 
and a golden pear; 



Each circle clasps hands and slides to right; 
that is, circles move in opposite direction. 



luG RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

The King of Spain's ] ^^"^'''^ } The circles halt, the King of Spain's -| g^jj'^^'^^'' } 

^^ previously chosen in the outside circle "two 

^_ ^^ ^0 steps" forward and clasps hands with someone 

M ^^W opposite in the inner circle. 



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came to visit me, These two circle in place once. 

And all for the sake of my little They slide to the outer circle and take their 

nut tree. place there. 



The game then begins again with the one just chosen as the new \ ^^^ ^^ i . This 

( son ) 

choosing continues until there is no one left in the inner circle, when the original inner 

and outer circles change place and game continues. 



CHAPTER IX 

Couple Dances and other Action Plays in which the Formation is Composed of 
Several Small Groups. — In Part I, under the general title of Class Conduct, will be 
found a discussion of the significance of the circle formation when used in the first 
organization of the group; and of the many benefits which accrue when it is used for 
the teaching of classes of small children. Among the many points which recommend its 
use is that it enables each member of the class to act independently and to execute indi- 
vidualistic movements without regard to the others. It also enables the teacher to cen- 
tralize the attention of the class. As a progression upon this activity of the group as 
a whole, we may segregate the class into smaller groups of two, three, four, etc. For 
other things being equal, those dances and games in which the class is split up into a 
number of groups are more difficult than those which consist only of individualistic ac- 
tivity of one large group. This rule requires some explanation. It must be understood 
that some couple dances are in reality easier than the more difficult individualistic 
rhythms because of the difficulty of the action itself. When a class is thus broken up 
into small groups it is harder for the teacher to attract and hold the attention than when 
the children are acting in one single circle. The teacher may easily be the centralizing 
and directing force when the grouping is a single unit, but when the gi'oup is broken up 
into smaller parts, each part must learn to work together and be more or less self direct- 
ing. The teacher frequently experiences some difficulty when she attempts to unify and 
hold the control of these separate groups. Therefore as a rule, the organization of a 
group should at first be one single unit, then successive progressions may be made 
through groups of two, three, four, etc. That is, as far as the organization is concerned, 
couple dances and similar small groups are an advance over individualistic action or ac- 
tivity of the circle as a whole. And yet, we find, in such a dance as the "Brownies and 
Fairies" which has small circles of five, that children can dance it more readily than such 
a couple dance as "Girls and Boys Come out to Play," because the action itself is easier 
and the figures less difficult. However, on the other hand, "Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat" is 
easier than "Puss, Puss, Grey Cat." It will be seen then, that any rule as to relative 
advancement of different groupings must be greatly modified by the actions which are 
performed in the dances, and that while couple dances are simpler from the point of view 
of their formation, the fact of whether they are, in the last analysis, easier than dances 
in which the groups are larger, depends upon other elements. 

Couple formations markedly differ from each other in simplicity, from a teaching point 
of view. The most simple being the one in which the partners stand side by side, facing 
in line of direction. This arrangement best enables the whole of the class to see the teacher 
The next easiest is the single circle, partners facing each other, with their sides to the 
centre of the circle. This formation permits of the teacher seeing all of the children and 
does not admit of any such confusion as to which is partner and which is neighbor as is 
liable to occur when partners stand side by side, facing the centre of the circle. Another 
simple couple grouping is when both partners face the centre of the circle, one standing 
behind the other. The most difficult couple formation is the double circle, partners facing. 
In this the partner who stands with his back to the centre is neither able to see the 
teacher nor the rest of the class and, therefore, is thrown upon his own responsibility for 
the execution of his part of the dance. Nor can the teacher see the action of the class 
sufficiently to be of assistance. 

107 



lOS RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

With the possible exception of progressing forward, facing in linetof direction, all ac- 
tion in couple formation is easiest done in place. Such games as "Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat" 
and " Bo\v-\vo\v-\vow " have been arranged with this thought in view and should be taught 
before such Action Plays as "Ba, Ba, Black Sheep" and "Hippity Hop to the Barber 
Shop" (when danced with a change of partners). It is possible to make the teaching of a 
change of partners very easy. First teach the actions of the change before teaching the 
change itself. "Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat" teaches the turn of the partner in place. "Bow- 
wow-wow" teaches the change of partners, but in place. "Two Little Black Birds" 
illustrate the separation of partners without the actual change and confusion of both mov- 
ing away from each other at the same time. The first dance to be taught with a change 
of partners is "Pat-a-cake." The change is very simple, being simply moving sideward 
to the next partner. "I Had a Little Nut Tree" in the preceding chapter has already 
taught the children this moving sideways in opposite directions of two concentric circles. 
"Ba, Ba, Black Sheep" has the same change but partners move forward instead of side- 
ways. "The Old Man in Leather" is a httle harder than "Ba, Ba, Black Sheep" because 
the circle moves once around in opposite direction before the change is made. The change 
of partners in "Hippity Hop to the Barber Shop" is the next advance, as circHng in place 
precedes the change of partners and after the circling the children are usually confused at 
first to know which way to go. In this dance the circling is only half way around. 



Progression for Teaching 

Bow-wow-wow. 

Two Little Black Birds. 

The Little Pigs. 

Pat-a-cake. 

Three Little Kittens. 

Ba, Ba, Black Sheep. 

The Old Man in Leather. 

Hippity Hop to the Barber Shop. (With change of partners.) 

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, No. II. 

Girls and Boys, Come Out to Play. » 

Puss, Puss, Grey Cat. 



Mother Goose 
Quickly 

-i 



RHYTHMIC ACTIOX PLAYS AND DANXES 
1U)\V-\V()\V-\V()\V 

Traditional Tune 



100 




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Bow-wow-wow! Whose dog art thou? Lit-tle Tommy Tucker's dog. Bow- wow- wow! 



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Formation. — Single circle, partners facing. 



Bow-wow-wow! 
Whose 



Stamp three times (right, left, right). 
Strike right hand sharply against left. 



dog art thou? 




With a jerk point right fore- 
finger upward, raising it about 
nose high. 



Little Tommy Tucker's dog. 



Bow-wow-wow! 



Partners clasp hands and quickly circle in 
place. 

Stamp three times turning away from part- 
ner and facing neighbor. 



Repeat same with neighbor, turning back to partner on final bow-wow-wow. The 
dance may continue as long as desired, alternately dancing with partner and neighbor. 



110 



Mother Goose 
AUecirelto 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

TWO LITTLE HLAC KHIUDS 

Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 






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Two lit-tle blackbirds sitting on a hill. One named Jack and the oth-er named Jill. 






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Fly a-way,Jack, and fly a-way, Jill. Come back,Jack,and come back, Jill. 

-J^— 1 1 r-. S S ■ P P- 







Formation. — All kneeling in a single circle, partners facing each other. The one 
named "Jack" facing in line of direction, "Jill" facing in the opposite direction. 



Two little blackbirds 
sitting on a hill, 



One named 



Jack 




Both sit still. 



Jack stands. 



Jack claps his hands once. 



the other named 



Jill. 




Jill stands. 



Jill claps hands once. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
Fly away, Jack slides two slides to his right. 

Jack, Jack claps his hands once. 

fly away, Jill slides two slides to her right. 



Ill 



Jill. 



Come back, 
Jack, 
come back, 
Jill. 




Jill claps her hands once. 



Jack slides two slides to his left. 
Jack claps his hands once. 
Jill slides two slides to her left. 
Jill claps her hands once. 



This action play teaches the somewhat difficult action of sliding away from and back 
toward a partner. This rhythm makes this separation easy, as the action is illustrated 
without partners moving at the same time, which is the point in the evolution that children 
find confusing. 

The single circle with partners facing is not the only formation which may be used. 
This action play maj^ be given as a preliminary drill to any dance where the partners are 
changed, in which case the partners should face and slide in the direction used in the dance 
to be prepared for. 



11-2 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
THE LITTLE PICS 



Mother Goose 
Adapted 



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This lit- tie pig-gie went to mar - ket, This lit-tle pig-gie stayed at home; 



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This lit - tie pig- gie had some roast beef,And this lit- tie pig-gie had none. 






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These lit - tie pig - gies cried out pee - wee - wee, pee - wee- wee. 



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these lit - tie pig - gies ran off home. Pee - wee - wee. 



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Formation. — A single circle facing inward. Some child is selected to start the dance. 



This little piggie went to market, 



The child selected to start the dance runs 
forward four very short steps and stamps 
twice (right, left) on " market." 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
This little piggie stayed at home; 



113 









/^ 



\/ 



1 



The one next to the left in the circle runs 
backward four very short steps and stamps 
twice (right, left). 



\/ 



This little piggie had some roast heef, 



The next to the left runs forward and stamps 
twice, the same as the piggie who went to 
market. 



And this little piggie had none. 



The one next to the left runs backward and 
stamps twice, the same as the piggie who 
stayed at home. 



This rhythm is used to count off the class and arrange them in partners ready for the 
couple dances. The above verse (the first eight measures) is repeated over and over until 
the whole class has been counted off and an outer and inner circle has been formed. The 
class then faces in line of direction. 



These little piggies cried out 
pee-wee-wee, pee-wee-wee, 



And these little piggies ran off home. 
Pee-wee-wee. 



The outside circle takes a step forward while 
the inside circle at the same time takes a step 
outward, which groups the class into couples, 
the piggies who went to market with the pig- 
gies who stayed at home, and the piggies who 
had roast beef with the piggies who had none. 

Partners clasp hands and run forward around 
circle in line of direction. 



The run may be continued as long as desired by repeating the last four measures. 



lU 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
PAT-A-CAKE 



Mother Goose 
Moderato 



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Adapted 



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Pat - a-cake,pat-a-cake,ba - ker'sman, Make me a cake as fast as you can ; 




Presto 




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Roll it and prick it and mark it with B, And toss in the o- ven for ba- by and me. 




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Formation. — A double circle, partners standing opposite each other. Outside circle 
standing facing inward, and inside circle facing outward. 



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Pal-a-cake, 
pat-a-cake, 
baker's man, 



Clap partner's hands three times. 



Clap own hands three times. 



Curtsy. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AXD DANCES 11', 

Make me a cake Hold left arm in circle as if holding a bowl 

and go through the action of stirring a cake, 
circling right hand three times away from body 
over the imaginary bowl. 

asjast as you can; Stir cake in opposite direction; that is, toward 

body. 

Roll it Roll right hand twice over left away from 

body. 

and prick it Point right forefinger into left palm. 

and mark it Slap left fist with right palm. 

with B, Touch together the tips of all the fingers and 

a letter B will thus be made by the forefingers 
and thumbs. 

And toss in the oven Toss both arms up at the side to the right. 

for baby and me. Swing arms down and leap sideways right, 

thus changing partners. 



Repeat as many times as desired or until the children are back to their original part- 
ners. 



IK) 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
THUEK LITTLE KITTENS 



Old Nursery Rhyme 
AUeqretto 



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There were three lit - tie kit - tens Put on 



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their mit - tens To 




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eat some Christ - mas pie." 




Mew, mew, mew, mew, mew, mew, mew. 



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Formation. — Standing in a triangular formation, i.e., in groups of three facing centre 
of group. 



1. There were three little 
kittens 
Put on their mittens 




To eat some Christmas pie. 
Chorus. 

Mew, m£w, mew, mew, mew, 
mew, mew. 



Hold right hand forward and 
pull on an imaginary mitten 
with the left hand. 



Pull on the left mitten. 



Turn around in place to right with six leaps, 
bringing the heels together on last mew; i.e., 
jump to right foot, then to left foot and con- 
tinue alternating right and left until turned. 
The same chorus is used after each verse, ex- 
cept the music and leaps express the emotion 
indicated in the preceding verse. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 117 

2. These three little kittens, Look over right shoulder to find mittens. 



They lost their mittens 



Look over left shoulder to find mittens. 



Arid they began to cry. 




Put fists in eyes. 



Chorus. 

Mew, mew, mew, mew, mew, 
mew, mew. 



Sadly turn in place with six walking steps, 
holding fists to eyes. 



S. Go, go, naughty kittens, 




Shake right forefinger toward 
floor at right side. 



And find your mitfens 



Shake left forefinger toward floor at left side. 



Or you shan't have any pie. 

Chorus. 

Mew, 7new, mew, mew, mew, 
mew, mew. 



Shake right forefinger toward floor at right 
side. 



Put fists in eyes and turn in place with six 
melancholy skips. 



118 RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

4. These three little kiltois Hold up right hand to show mitten. 



They found their mittens 



Hold up left hand to show mitten. 



And joyfully they did cry. 




Shake hands with delight. 



Chorus. 

Mew, mew, mew, mew, mew, 
mew, mew. 



Turn in place with joyful leaps, shaking 
mittens. 



5. Oh! granny dear. 
Our mittens are here. 
Make haste and cut the pie. 



Hold an imaginary pie in the left hand and 
cut it with three slicing movements of the 
right. 



Chorus. 

Purr-rr, purr-rr, purr-rr-rr. 



Turn in place with easy leaps, purring con- 
tentedly. 



6. These three little kittens, 



Hold up right hand and look at it with aston- 
ishment. 



They soiled their mittens, 



Hold up left hand and look at it. 



While eating Christmas pie. 



Hide hands behind back. 



Chorus. 

Mew, mew, mew, mew, mew, 
mew, m£w. 



Turn with six jerky steps, mewing with agi- 
tation and distress. 



7. These three little kittens. 
Then washed their mittens. 



Rub mittens on an imaginary wash board. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
And hung them up to dry. 



119 



Pin mittens on line with two imaginary clothes 
pins. 



Chorus. 

Mew, meiv, mexo, mew, mew, 
mew, mew. 



Turn with six quick leaps, mewing with a 
busy expression. 



8. These three little kittens. 
Then ironed their mittens. 



Hold out left hand, palm up, to represent 
ironing board; and pass palm of right hand 
over it, back and forth, to imitate motion of 
ironing. 



And all sat down close by. 



or 



Sit down and raise right arm and rub it over 
face as if washing face, purring contentedly. 
Same for chorus. 



And smelled a mou^e close by. 



All turn and form single circle, facing in line 
of direction. 



Chorus. 

Mew, mew, mew, mew, mew, 
mew, mew. 



Hurry off, moving around circle after an 
imaginary mouse, by long leaps. 



120 



Mother Goose 
^loderato 
4, 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

BA, BA, BLACK SIIKKP 

Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 



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Ba, Ba, Black Sheep, have you a - ny wool? Yes, sir. Yes, sir. 



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three bags full; 
f 



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One for the mas - ter, and one for the dame, And 



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none 



for 



the lit - tie boy who cries 



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the lane. 



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Formation. — A single circle, partners number I and II standing facing each other 
with hands on hips. 

Partner number I standing with right side to centre of circle. 
Partner Number II standing with left side to centre of circle. 



Partner I. 

Ba, Ba, 



Stamp twice (right, left). 



Black Sheep, 



have you any wool? 




Clap twice. 



Bow and hold hands forward, 
palms up, as if to receive wool. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



]21 



Partner II. 



Yes, Sir, 
Yes, Sir, 



three bags full; 



Stamp right twice. 
Stamp twice left. 




Hold up rijTht hand and show 
three bags full. 



One 



for the 



master. 




Clap own hands. 




Clap partner's left hand with 
the right hand. 



122 RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
and one Clap own hands. 

for the 

dame, Clap partner's hand wilh left. 



And none for the Hide 
bey 






Raise hands foi-ward waist high, 
palms upward, and then separate 
the hands sideways, making a 
gesture to denote having nothing. 



Partners I and II. 



who cries in the 
lane. 




With hands on hips, partners 
skip past each other and on to 
the next partner. 



Repeat the whole, changing partners with each repetition, until all are back to their 
original partners. 



Nursery Rhyme 
Moderate 






RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

THE OLD MAN IN LEATIIKR 

Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 



123 



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chanced to meet 

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how do you do! Oh, how do you do! Oh, how do you do a - gain! 



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shook his hand at part - ing, Though cloud-y was the weath - er. 

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124 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



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Formation. — Two concentric circles, the outside circle facing in line of direction, 
inside circle facing in opposite direction. 




Owe misty, moisty morning 
When cloudy was the weather, 
I chanced to meet an old man 
Clothed all in leather. 



Both circles march forward around the circle 
in the direction they are facing. 



And he began to compliment, 



Partner in the inside circle elaborately bows 
by placing hands on chest and bending body 
well forward at waist. 



And I began to grin. 



Partner in the outside circle makes the same 
elaborate bow. 



Oh, how do you do! 
Oh, how do you do! 



Partner on inside bows head quickly. 



Partner on outside bows head quickly. 



Oh, how do you do again! 



Partner on inside bows quickly again. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



/ shook his hand at parting, 



125 



Partner on the inside shakes with his right 
hand the left hand of partner on the outside. 



Though cloudy was the weather. 



Partner on the inside shakes with his left hand 
right hand of partner on the outside. 



Oh, fare thee well! 



Partners shake right hands and hold the 
grasp. 



Oh, jare thee well! 



Partners shake left hands, clasping them over 
their right hands and hold the grasp. 



Oh, jare thee well again! 




Partners shake both hands as 
they are held clasped across 
each other. 



Turn as before for marching. March around and stop in front of a new partner who is 
next to his previous partner. The game is repeated over and over until all are back 
to their original partners. 



12G RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

TWIXKLK, TW IXKLK, LITTLK STAR, No. II 

J. W. Elliott 

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Twin - kle, twin - kle, lit - tie star, How I won - der what you 

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are, Up a - bove the world so high, Like a dia-mond in the sky. 




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Formation. — A single circle, partners standing facing each other and clasping both 
hands. 



1. Twinkle, twinkle. 




Raise the clasped hands high 
above head and raise on the 
toes, then lower the hands 
and heels. Repeat same once. 
This raising and lowering may 
be called "twinkling." 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 127 




^^^ , ^^^^^ Raise outside hands and "wTing 

2. little star, ^^KJ ^^^m ^^^ ^-^j^ ^.^^ ., tuning outward. 



3. How I wonder "Twinkle" twice; that is, repeat 1. 



4. what you are, "Wring the dish rag," turning inward; that is, 

same as 2, except turn under inside clasped 
hands. 



5. Up above "Twinkle" twice. 



6. the world so high, "Wring the dish rag" turning outward, but 

also change places with partner by taking one 
step outward. Face outward, step sideways 
away from partner, then turn toward partner 
one step sideways toward centre of the circle. 
This will bring all facing in the opposite di- 
rection from what they were before. 



7. Like a diamond "Twinkle" twice. 



8. in the sky. Start to "wring the dish rag" by turning under 

inside hands and then turning back to back. 
Then drop hands and face a new partner, 
that is, "wring the dish rag" half way and 
stop. 



128 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 




Repeat the whole with the new partners and continue the dance, changing partners 
around the circle, until the dancers are back to their original partners. 



WTien teaching this dance, first teach "wringing the dish rag" without the music; 
when, after trying it a few days and the trick is acquired, the "twinkle" may be easily 
added and the whole gradually taught with the music. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

GIRLS AND BOYS, COME OUT TO PLAY' 

Mother Goose 
n Alley ref to 

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129 



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Girls and boys, come out 



play, The moon does shine as 






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Come with a whoop and 


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Up the lad-der and down the wall, A pen - ny loaf will serve us all. 



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130 RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

Formation. — A double circle, partners facing and holding inside hands clasped high. 



Girls and hoys, come out to 

play, 

The moon does shine as bright 

as day; 

Leave your supper and leave 

your sleep. 

Come to your playfellows in 

the street. 





"Face to face and back to 
back"; i.e., starting with the 
outside feet, slide two slides in 
line of direction, facing partner, 
then swing the arms down be- 
tween and up again, at the 
same time turn back toward 
partner and slide two slides 
sideways in line of direction 
with back toward partner. 
Continue alternating "face to 
face and back to back." 



Come with a whoop and come with a call, 



Right arm hook with partner, circling in place 
with step hop. 




RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



131 



Come with a good will or not at all. 
Up the ladder and 



Left arm hook with partner, circling in place 
with step hop. 

Standing slightly to the left of partner, clasp 
neighbor's right hand, all raise clasped hands 
high and leap slightly forward onto right foot. 




down the wall, 



Step back on left foot. 



A penny loaf will serve us all. 




Let go of neighbors' hands. Part- 
ner on the inside step hops under 
arm of the partner on the outside 
and moves on in line of direction, 
changing partners to the next 
ahead. Finish with the new part- 
nei-s facing, ready to clasp hands 
and repeat whole. 



182 



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RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 

PUSS, PUSS, CAiEY CAT 

, Alley ret to 

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Our cat he played on the drum, While 



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four pus-sy cats they danced a-round And made a noise like thun-der. While 



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\\'Tiere were you the oth 


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- er night? 


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I sat be-hind the gar - den door, Where I have nev - er been be - fore. 



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RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 133 

Formation. — 

I A double circle. Inside circle numbered 

^ »» 3's and 4's, and outside circle numbered I's 

V ^ and 2's, numbers 1 and 3 being: partners, and 

v t> / numbers 2 and 4 being partners. 

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Figure I. 



Face in circles of four; i.e., numbers 1-2-3-4 in a group. Number I's facing number 
4's, number 3's facing number 2's. 

Fie, Fo, Fum! Our cat he Clap hands to music and reach them well 

played on the drum, forward as if beating on either side of a drum. 

While four pussy cats they danced around Clasp hands in circles of four and slide side- 
Arid made a noise like ways right. 

thunder, Stamp twice (left, right). 

While four pussy cats they danced Slide sideways left. 
around And made a noise like 

thunder. Stamp twice (right, left). 



Figure II. 



Partners face each other. Outside circle are the questioners (I's and 2's), inside 
circle the "Puss, Puss, Grey Cats" (3's and 4's). 



Pu^s, Puss, Questioners stamp twice (right, left). 

Grey Cat, Questioners clap twice. 



134 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



Where were you the 
other night? 




Questioners place right elbow 
on back of left hand and 
shake right forefinger at 
partner in time to the music. 



I sat behind the garden 
door, Where I have never 
been before. 



Figure III. 



Repeat Figure I. 




"Puss, Puss, Grey Cat" 
kneels on right knee while 
questioner jigs forward and 
around his partner. 



Figure IV. 

Repeat Figure II with inside circle taking the part of the questioner and outside circle 
taking the part of "Puss, Puss, Grey Cat." 



CHAPTER X 

Miscellaneous Action Plays. — A number of games have been collected, to form this 
group, which have no direct relation to the progressions developed in the preceding 
chapters. They may be given to the children at any time the teacher may desire or 
when she considers that the class has acquired the ability to appreciate and execute 
them. 



The Fairy Ship. 

Little Boy Blue. 

The Spider and the Fly. 

Mistress Mary. 

The Elephants' Dance. 

Simple Simon. 

Humpty Dumpty. 

Peter Piper Says Please. 

Hey Diddle Diddle. 

Poor Dog Bright. 

Bye Baby Bunting. 

Blossoming Flowers. 



135 



136 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
THE KAIUV SHIP 



(A GAME) 



Old Nursery Rhyme 
,, ^ n Muderuto 



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1. I saw a ship a sail - ing, A sail - ing on the sea, And 

2. The four-and- twen - ty sail - ors That stood between the decks, Were 

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oh! it was a - lad - en With pret - ty things for me. There were 
four - and-twen - ty white mice With rings a - bout their necks. The 



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com - fits in the cab - in, And ap - pies in the hold ; . . The 
cap - tain was a duck, a duck, With a jack - et on his back, . . And 



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sails were made of sat - in, And the mast was made of gold, 
when the fai - ry ship set sail. The cap - tain he said "Quack." 



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RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



137 



This game may be played either in a Kindergarten with the chairs arranged in a 
circle or in a school room with desks. 

In the Kindergarten the children march around serpentining in and out among the 
chairs with an odd one in the centre as Captain Duck. At the end of the third verse the 
Captain cries "quack" and rashes to get a seat; the odd one left without a seat then 
becomes the Captain. In order to make the time indefinite, the Captain may wait a 
brief time after the singing has ceased before saying "quack," during which interval the 
children must continue to march. 

In a school room the children serpentine up and down the aisles. 




138 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



LITTLE 1U)V BLUE 

One of the players, who is chosen to be "Little Boy Blue," goes to one side and lies 
down pretending to be asleep under a haystack. The rest of the players, who are the 
cows and the sheep, run up and call "Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn, the sheep 
are in the meadow, the cows in the corn." This awakens "Little Boy Blue" and he 
jumps up and chases "the cows and sheep until he tags someone. "Little Boy Blue" takes 
the one he has tagged back to the haystack and then "Little Boy Blue" joins the other 
playei-s and becomes a cow or sheep. The game begins again as before with the one who 
has just been caught acting as "Little Boy Blue." 




THE SPIDER AND THE FLY 

A spider web is made by the players who stand in a circle with their clasped hands 
held high. One of the players, a spider, is inside the circle and another player, the fly, 
is outside the circle. The game begins by the spider prancing around coaxing the fly to 
enter his web by calling, — "Will you walk into my parlor, pretty fly, pretty fly, will you, 
will you, walk in?" The fly is allowed to enter the circle, but as soon as he enters the 
spider darts out of the circle and the players immediately lower their arms to prevent 
the fly from escaping. The spider then prances around on the outside of the circle tanta- 
lizing the fly with "Will you walk out, pretty fly, pretty fly, will you walk out?" The 
fly tries to escape by breaking through the web (clasped hands) or by crawling out under 
or over. When the fly escapes she must catch the spider, who then becomes the fly, the 
former fly taking her place in the circle. A new spider is chosen and the game proceeds 
as before. Should the fly not break out of the web or catch the spider, as occasionally 
happens, a new spider may be chosen and the previous spider becomes the fly. 



Mother Goose 

mp 




RHYTHMIC ACTION PI^YS AND DANCES 
MISTRESS MARY 



139 



J. W. Elliott 

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Mis - tress Ma - ry quite con - tra - ry, How does your gar-den grow? With 




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cock - le-shells and sil - ver bells And pretty maids all in a row. 



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A group of little girls chooses one of their number to be "Mistress Mary." "Mistress 
Mary" then selects some spot for her garden where she kneels down. The rest of the 
players dance up to her and call, "Mistress Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden 
grow?" "Mistress Mary" answers, "With cockle-shells and silver bells and pretty maids 
all in a row," at the same time "Mistress Mary" jumps up and chases the rest of the 
players. When she catches one she takes her back to the garden and they both kneel 
down and, after the verse is sung a second time, the two start out after the other players. 
Those they catch take their place in "Mary's" garden. This goes on over and over until 
all the players are in the garden and there are no more to be caught. 




140 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
THE ELEPHANT'S DANCE 



Although music and dancing are so closely related that it is difficult to disassociate 
the two, however, paradoxical as it may seem, rhythmic accent can often best be recog- 
nized when the sound of the foot tapping on the floor, or the clap of the hands is the 
only accompaniment. Music helps the child to learn to march, but as a progression the 
assistance of the music should be withdrawn. Marching without music forces the child 
to keep in time by depending upon his own rhythmic sense and that of the class, communi- 
cated to him by the sound of the foot falls. To call the child's attention to the sound of 
the tramping, the teacher may tell the story of "Toomai of The Elephants" from Kip- 
ling's "First Jungle Book." The children may be asked to imagine they are these big, 
soft-footed animals with no hard hoofs to stamp. Stress should be laid on the fact that 
the elephants had no music but kept in time by the steady sound of the tramp, tramp, of 
many, many feet. What the elephants really did was to make their ball room by marking 
time altogether for an interval, then marching foi'ward a little way and marking time 
again. This story will give the child an immediate interest in the rather uninteresting 
action of marking time and marching without music, and the element of play which it 
introduces will focus the attention upon the points which it is desired to impress upon the 
class 



Mother Goose 

Not too fast 




SIMPLE SLMON 



Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 



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Sim - pie Si - mon went a - fish - ing for to catch a whale, 



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all the wa-ter he could find was in his mother's pail. Sim-pie Si-mon met a pieman 



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141 




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go-ing to the fair, Said Simple Simon to the pieman," Let me taste your wares?'' 



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Said the pie- man to Sim-pie Si - mon,"Showme first your mon-ey." Said 



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Sim - pie Si - mon to the pie - man,"Deed I have not a - ny." 






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Formation. — A single circle facing inward. One of the players chosen to be Simple 
Simon is on the outside of the circle. 



Simple Simon went a-fishing 
for to catch a whale, 
But all the water he could find 
ivas in his mother's 



Simple Simon runs around the circle on the 
outside. 



pail. 



Simple Simon taps someone on the back who 
becomes the pieman. 



Simple Simon met a pieman 
going to the fair, 



Simple Simon continues to run around the 
circle in the same direction, but the one he 
has tagged runs around the circle in the op- 
posite direction until he meets Simple Simon. 



14'J 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AXD DANCES 



Said Simple Simon to the pieman, 
"Let me taste your wares?" 




Simple Simon holds his right 
hand out toward the pieman. 



Said the pieman to Simple Simon, 
"Show me first your money." 




The pieman holds his right 
hand out toward Simple Simon. 



Said Simple Simon to the pieman, 
"Deed I have not any." 




Simple Simon and the pieman 
shake their outstretched right 
hands and quickly drop them 
and, passing each other, run 
on around the circle in an en- 
deavor to reach first the place 
in the circle left vacant by the 
pieman. The one who gets 
there last becomes Sim.ple 
Simon and the game begins 
again as before. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
IirMPTV DlMl'TV* 



143 



Mother Goose 



Original tune harmonized by 
Alfred Moffat 




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Ilump - ty Dump-ty sat on a wall, Hump-ty Dump-ty had a great fall; 



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All the King's horses and all the King's men Couldn't put Hurapty Durapty together a - gain. 



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* Printed by permission of G. Schirmer, 3 East 43rd St., New York City. 



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The children sit in a circle in their chairs, or at their desks, an odd one <Humpty 
Dumpty) stands in the centre of the circle, or at the front of the class room. While the 
verse is being sung the children all keep time to the music by alternately placing both 
feet on the floor, leaning forward and clapping the hands once; then raising the feet from 
the floor, leaning back in the chair and separating the arms sideways. After the verse 
has been sung, "Humpty Dumpty" goes up to some child and asks, "What color is my 
Easter egg, red, white or blue?" If the child he asks can guess the color "Humpty 
Dumpty" has chosen, then he may exchange places with "Humpty Dumpty." If the color 
is not guessed correctly, then "Humpty Dumpty" chooses another color and goes to an- 
other child and repeats his question. This continues until someone guesses correctly. It 
is sometimes advisable that "Humpty Dumpty" confide to the teacher the color he has 
chosen, before he asks the question. 



144 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



PKIKU IMTKU SAYS PLEASE 

This gatie is valuable in training the attention, inducing a quick motor reaction and 
in furnishing a drill in the names of exercises and steps which the children have previ- 
ously learned. The teacher says slowly, "Peter Piper says please" and quickly follows 
this phrase with a sharp command. The teacher endeavors to fool the children by omit- 
ting to say "please" or "Peter Piper" or by just giving a command. When any word is 
omitted the children are not supposed to respond to her command. After each command 
all look around to see who got fooled and when any one makes a mistake all laugh good 
naturedly. The children consider it very funny and never tire of playing this game. 

Suggestions for commands and actions: 

Single actions — "Stamp," "clap," "jump," "bow," "curtsy," "stretch," "stride," 
"point," (sideways, forward, backward), "hop," "stoop and stand"; a single action or 
"two," "three" or "four" "jumps." 

Series of actions — Runs, slides, skips. 

A continuous movement such as the above should be followed by "Peter Piper says 
please halt." 



HEY DIDDLE DIDDLE 



Mother Goose 
Briylttly 




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lit - tie dog laughed to see such sport, And the dish ran a-way with the spoon. 



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RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



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Formation. — An even number in a single circle facing in line of direction, with an 
odd one in the centre. 



Hey diddle diddle, the cat and 
the fiddle, 

The cow jumped over the moon, 
The little dog laughed to see 
such sport. 



Ail step hop forward around circle in line 
of direction. 



And the dish 



All turn inward and run toward the centre of 

circle. 



ran away with the spoon. 



All try to get a partner. Those who secure 
partners return to the circle, while the odd 
one remains in the centre and the game begins 
again as before. 



Mother Goose 
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POOR DOG BRIGHT 



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1. Poor Dog Bright ran off with all his might Because the cat was after him, Poor Dog Bright. 

2. Poor Cat Fright ran off with all her might Because the dog was after her, Poor Cat Fright. 



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RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



Formation. — A single circle facing inward clasping hands, with two of the players 
chosen to be "Cat Fright" and "Dog Bright." "Cat Fright" is in the centre of the circlL\ 
the cupboard; "Dog Bright" is on the outside of the circle. 




A, B, C, tumble-down D, 
The cat is in the cupboard 
and can't see me. 



"Dog Bright" dances around behind the 
players in the circle and calls these words to 
"Cat Fright." 



Poor Dog Bright ran off with all 
his might 

Because the cat was after him, 
Poor Dog Bright. 



The players in the circle raise their clasped 
hands and "Cat Fright" rushes out after 
"Dog Bright." The players sing the rhythm 
over and over until "Dog Bright" is caught. 



Poor Cat Fright ran off with all 
her might 

Because the dog ivas after her, 
Poor Cat Fright. 



"Dog Bright" now turns and chases "Cat 
Fright" who tries to get back to the cup- 
board before the dog can catch her. Should 
she succeed, she goes and stands with her back 
to some one in the circle, who backs out and 
becomes "Dog Bright" and the previous "Dog 
Bright" becomes the cat for the next game. 
Should the cat be caught she must act again 
as "Cat Fright," while the dog chooses a suc- 
cessor in the same manner as "Cat Fright" 
would have done. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANXES 
BVK BAIJV IJINTIXC; 



14' 



Nursery RhjTne 
n Andante 



Arranged by 
Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 





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Formation. 



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In groups of three arranged around a circle, 
two of the group stand facing and clasp 
both hands to form a cradle. One of the 
two stands with his back to the centre of 
the circle. The third member of the group 
(Baby Bunting) stands facing in line of 
direction, with his right foot placed forward 
and his hands against the arms nearest 
him. 



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RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



Bye Baby Bunting, 
Daddy's gone a hunting, 
Gone to get a rabbit's skiri 




"Baby Buntings" rock the 
cradle, in time to the music, 
by transferi-ing the weight 
to the forward foot as the 
cradle is pushed away with 
the hands; then transferring 
the weight to the backward 
foot and pulling the elbows 
backward. The two, who 
represent the cradle, should 
raise their arms in line of 
direction to imitate the rock- 
ing. 



To wrap the Baby Bunting in. 




The arms on the side next 
"Baby Bunting" are raised 
and he steps forward and 
under them. The arms are 
then lowered and "Baby 
Bunting" stands between 
the two who represent the 
cradle. 



The Run. The clasped hands in front of "Baby Bunting" are raised during the first 
two measures of the music. During the last two measures all the "Baby Buntings" of 
the various groups run forward in line of direction to the next group, ready to rock the 
cradle with them. The game is repeated until the "Baby Buntings" have run around the 
entire circle and are back again to the group where they started. If the class is not too 
large, the whole game may be played three times in order that those who take the part 
of the cradle may each have a turn as "Baby Bunting." 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 
BLOSSOM IXC, KLOW'KUS 

The Autumn Wind Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 



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The Snow 



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This little allegorical play is without words and is intended to concretely show the 
sequence of the seasons and the nature cycle, which begins with the scattering of the seeds 
in the fall and ends in the blossoming flowers in the summer. Five children are chosen 
who are to impersonate 

1. The autumn wind, 

2. A snow cloud, 

3. The March wind, 

4. The sun, 

5. A cloud of gentle spring rain. 



These five children go off to one side, while the rest of the children (each named for 
a flower) form a circle standing facing the centre. 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



1G3 



The Autumn Wind Music. The autumn wind runs into the centre of the circle and 
whirls around. This action is supposed to scatter the seeds. The children in the circle, 
or the seeds, whirl around and progress in line of direction. After whirling about a bit, 
the autumn wind runs out of the circle and whirls away, whereupon the little seeds all 
settle down in a circle, kneeling on the right knee, folding the arms on the chest and 
resting the head on the left knee. 




The Snow Music. The snow cloud now runs softly into the circle and whirls about 
among the seeds shaking her fingers over the head of each child, by which action she is 
supposed to cover the seeds with a blanket of snowflakes to keep them warm. After the 
snow cloud has gone to each child she runs out of the circle and away. 



The March Wind Music. The march wind next runs into the circle and leaps and 
whirls about among the seeds and finally runs out of the circle and away. 



The Sun Music. The sun daintily runs into the 
circle and touches each little seed. This awakens the 
seed, who slowly raises her head. The sun then runs 
out of the circle and away. 




154 



RHYTHMIC ACTION PLAYS AND DANCES 



The Rain Music. The rain cloud next runs into 
the circle and scatters raindrops over each child, in 
the same manner that the snowflakes were shaken 
down. The effect of the rain is to make the flowers 
grow, which they pretend to do by standing up. 




The Flying Bird Music. There is nothing left now but for the flowers to blossom, 
which they do by unfolding their petals. This may be represented by slowly extending 
the right arm sideways, then the left. The flowers should blossom in the order in which 
the flowers actually bud. That is, snowdrops, crocuses and dandelions first; then peonies, 
roses, goldenrod, etc. 





If it is desired to bring a large group into action some of the children may be named 
for birds and, while the flowers are blossoming, the birds (crows, robins, bluebirds, wood- 
peckers, etc.) may come in and fly about, entering in the order in which they migrate. 



APPENDIX 

I. ALPHABETICAL Iiq"DEX OF TITLES, AUTHORS AND 

CO^I POSERS 

TITLE AUTHOR COMPOSER PAGE 

Ba, Ba, Black Sheep Mother Goose . . . Mde Rehberg Scheuerman 120 

Blossoming Flowers Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 149 

Bobby Shafto Mother Goose Old Tune 66 

Bow-wow-wow Mother Goose Traditional Tune 109 

Brownies and Fairies Irene E. Phillips Moses .... Arranged by 

Emily Perkins Wells 100 

Bye Baby Bunting Nursery Rhymes Arranged by 

Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 147 

Children Sliding ' Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 97 

Christmas Ships, The Old Nursery Rhyme 98 

Cock-a-doodle-doo Mother Goose . . . Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 61 

Come, My Dolly Lydia Avery Coonley .... Eleanor Smith 79 

Crooked Man, The ^Mother Goose . . . Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 2A 

Dame, get up and Bake Your Pies . Old Nursery Rhyme Traditional 73 

Diddle, Diddle Dumpling .... Mother Goose . . . ' . . Ethel Crowninshield 55 

Elephant's Dance, The 140 

Fairies' Moonlight Dance, The Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 84 

Fairy Ship, The Old Nursery Rliyme Traditional 136 

Fireflies' Dance, The Irene E. Phillips Moses Mae Rehberg 'Scheuerman 82 

Girls and Boys, Come out to Play . Mother Goose 129 

Goosey, Goosey, Gander .... Mother Goose . . . Swedish and Mae Rehberg 

Scheuerman 54 

Here we go on a Merry-go-round . . Irene E. Phillips Moses American 38 

Hey Diddle Diddle Mother Goose . . . Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 144 

Hickory,Dickory,Dock Mother Goose . . . Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 44 

Hippity Hop to the Barber Shop Arranged by Mae Rehberg 

Scheuerman 75 

Humpty Dumpty Mother Goose . . . Original tune harmonized 

by Alfred Moffat 143 
Hush-a-bye Baby Old Nursery Rhyme Traditional 68 

Jack and Jill, No. I Mother Goose . . . Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 91 

Jack and Jill, No. II Mother Goose . . . Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 103 

Jack be Nimble Mother Goose . . . Mae Rehberg Scheuennan 89 

Kewpies, The Irene E. Phillips Moses German 23 

Leg over Leg Mother Goose Swedish 90 

Little Boy Blue Mother Goose 138 

Little Miss Muffet IVIother Goose Traditional Tune 26 

Little Nut Tree, The Old Nursery Rhyme Old English 105 

Little Pigs, The Mother Goose (adapted) 112 

Lucy Locket Mother Goose Traditional 28 

165 



156 INDEX 

TITLE AUTHOR COMPOSER p^^Qg 

Man in the Moon, The Mother Goose and . , Mae Rehberg Schenerman 

Nursery Rhyme and Traditional 63 

Mistress Mary Mother Goose J.W. Elliott 139 

Motoraian, The Irene E. Phillips Moses Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 57 

Oh Where, Oh Where has my Little 

Dog gone? Nursery Rhyme Old Tune 42 

Old King Cole Nursery Rhyme Adapted by 

Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 71 
Old Man in Leather, The .... Nursery Rhyme . . . Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 123 

Pancake Man, The Irene E. Phillips Moses Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 31 

Christina Rossetti Eleanor Smith 

Pat-a-cake Mother Goose Adapted 114 

Peter Pan ^ Irene E. Phillips Moses .... J. Pierpont 45 

Peter Piper says "Please" 144 

Playing Train Irene E. Phillips Moses Mae Rehberg Scheu£rman 36 

Poor Dog Bright Mother Goose Traditional Tune 145 

Puss, Puss, Grey Cat 132 

Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat Mother Goose J.W. Elliott 47 

Ride a Cock-horse Mother Goose Old Tune — adapted 74 

Santa Claus and the Christmas Tree. Irene E. Phillips Moses Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 40 
See-Saw, No. I Alfred G. Crowe . . Alfred G. Crowe (adapted) 53 



Alfred G. Crowe (adapted) 69 

Alfred G. Crowe (adapted) 92 

Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 140 

Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 29 



See-Saw, No. II Alfred G. Crowe 

See-Saw, No. Ill Alfred G. Crowe 

Simple Simon Mother Goose 

Sing a Song of Sixpence Mother Goose 

Spider and the Fly, The 138 

Stork, The Irene E. Phillips Moses Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 51 

Three Funny Old Men W. H. Neidlinger W. H. Neidlinger 49 

Three Little Kittens Nursery Rhyme 116 

Tin Soldiers, The W. H. Neidlinger W. H. Neidlinger 33 

To Market Mother Goose Irish Jig 43 

Two Little Blackbirds Mother Goose . , . Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 110 

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, No. I. Nursery Rhyme J.W. Elliott 78 

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, No. II Nursery Rhyme J.W. Elliott 126 

Walking on Stilts Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 57 

Wee Willie Winkie Mother Goose . . . Mae Rehberg Scheuerman 27 

Yankee Doodle 86 



II. CHASING AND TAGGING GAMES 



PAGE 



PAGE 



Hush-a-bye Baby 



68 Poor Dog Bright 145 



Little Boy Blue 138 

Little Miss Muffet 26 

Lucy Locket 28 

Mistress Mary 139 

Oh Where, Oh Where has my Little Dog 



gone.' 



42 



Simple Simon 140 

Sing a Song of Sixpence 29 

Spider and the Fly, The 149 

Wee Willie Winkie 27 



III. ACTION PLAYS IN WHICH THE CHILDREN THEM- 
SELVES MAT CHOOSE THE ACTION 



PAGE 

The Christmas Ships 98 Peter Piper says Please 

Goosey, Goosey, Gander 54 Santa Glaus and the Ghristmas Tree . 

Old King Gole 71 



PAGE 
144 

40 



lY. GAMES SUITABLE FOR THE SCHOOLROOM 

WITH DESKS 

By using some ingenuity all of the following Action Plays may be adapted for use in 
the schoolroom with desks. Many of those which have the circle formation may be easily 
used with straight lines. In some instances it may be necessary to omit the game ele- 
ment, using only the rhythmic actions. Unless the aisles are very wide they will not 
admit of the changing of partners. 



PAGE 

Bobby Shafto 66 

Christmas Ships, The 98 

Cock-a-doodle-doo 61 

Come, My Dolly 79 

Crooked Man, The 24 



PAGE 



Dame, get up and Bake your Pies ... 73 
Diddle, Diddle Dumpling 55 

Elephants' Dance, The 140 

Fairies' Moonlight Dance, The .... 84 
Fairy Ship, The 136 



157 



15S 



INDEX 



PAGE 

Goosey, Goosey, Gander 54 

Here We go on a Merry-go-round ... 38 
Hippity Hop to the Barber Shop ... 75 

Humpty Dumpty 143 

Hush-a-bye Baby 68 

Jack, be Nimble 89 

Kewpies, The 23 

Leg over Leg 90 

Little Boy Blue 138 

Man in the Moon, The 63 

Moiorman, The 57 



PAGE 

Pancake Man, The 31 

Pat-a-cake 114 

Peter Piper says Please 144 

Playing Train 36 

Ride a Cock-horse 74 

Santa Glaus and the Christmas Tree . . 40 

See-Saw, No. I 53 

See-Saw, No. II 69 

Stork, The 51 

Three Little Kittens 116 

Tin Soldiers, The 33 

To Market 43 

Two Little Blackbirds 110 



Old King Cole 71 Walking on Stilts 57 



Y. ACTION PLATS SUITABLE FOR THE USE OF SMALL 

GROUPS AND IE THE HOME 

In using these Action Plays with small numbers, it will be found necessary to disregard 
such parts of the description as require the co-operation of a large group. 

1. Action Plays suitable for a single child or a single child and its mother. 

PAGE PAGE 

Bobby Shafto 66 Motorman, The 57 

Cock-a-doodle-doo 61 Pancake Man, The 31 

Come, My Dolly 79 Peter Piper says Please 144 

Playing Train 36 



Crooked Man, The 24 

Diddle, Diddle Dumpling 55 

Elephants' Dance, The 140 

Fairies' Moonlight Dance, The .... 84 

Goosey, Goosey, Gander 54 

Here we go on a Merry-go-round ... 38 

Hickory, Dickory, Dock 44 

Hush-a-bye Baby 68 

2. Action Plays suitable for two children. 

PAGE 

Ba, Ba, Black Sheep 120 

Bobby Shafto 66 

Bow-wow-wow 109 



Ride a Cock-horse 74 

See-Saw, No. II 69 

Sing a Song of Sixpence 29 

Stork, The 51 

To Market 43 

Walking on Stilts 57 

Yankee Doodle 86 



PAGE 

Diddle, Diddle Dumpling 55 

Elephant's Dance, The 140 



Fairies' Moonlight Dance, The .... 84 
Fireflies' Dance, The 82 



Cock-a-doodle-doo 61 

Come, My Dolly 79 

Crooked Man, The 24 Goosey, Goosey, Gander 54 



INDEX 



l.-)9 



PAGE 

Here we go on a Merry-go-round ... 38 

Hickory, Dickory, Dock 44 

Hippity Hop to the Barber Shop ... 75 

Hush-a-bye Baby 68 

Jack and Jill, No. I 91 

Jack and Jill, No. H 103 

Jack be Nimble 89 

Man in the Moon, The 63 

Motorman, The 57 

Old King Cole 71 

Pancake Man, The 31 

Pat-a-cake 114 

Peter Piper says Please 144 



PAGE 

Playing Train 36 

Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat 47 

Ride a Cock-horse 74 

See-Saw, No. I 53 

See-Saw, No. II 69 

Sing a Song of Sixpence 29 

Stork, The 51 

To Market 43 

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, No. I . . 78 

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, No. II . . 126 

Two Little Blackbirds 110 

Walking on Stilts 57 

Yankee Doodle 86 



3. Action Plays suitable for three children. 



PAGE 

Bobby Shafto 66 

Bye Baby Bunting 147 

Christmas Ships, The 98 

Cock-a-doodle-doo 61 

Come, My Dolly 79 

Crooked Man, The 24 

Diddle, Diddle Dumpling 55 

Elephant's Dance, The 140 

Fairies' Moonlight Dance, The .... 84 

Goosey, Goosey, Gander 54 

Here We go on a Meriy-go-round ... 38 

Hickory, Dickory, Dock 44 

Hush-a-bye Baby 68 

Kewpies, The 23 



PAGE 

Motorman, The 57 

Pancake Man, The 31 

Peter Piper says Please 144 

Playing Train 36 

Ride a Cock-horse 74 

See-Saw, No. II 69 

Sing a Song of Sixpen^-e 29 

Stork, The 51 

Three Funny Old IVIen 49 

Three Little Kittens 116 

To Market 43 

Walking on Stilts 57 

Yankee Doodle 86 



4. Action Plays suitable for four children. 

PAGE 

Ba, Ba, Black Sheep 120 

Bobby Shafto 66 

Bow- wow- wow 109 

Cock-a-doodle-doo 61 

Come, My Dolly 79 

Crooked Man, The 24 

Diddle, Diddle Dumpling 55 

Elephant's Dance, The 140 



PAGE 

Fairies' Dance, The 84 

Fireflies Dance, The 82 

Goosey, Goosey, Gander 54 

Here We go on a Merry-go-round ... 38 
Hippity Hop to the Barber Shop ... 75 
Hush-a-bye Baby 68 

Jack and Jill, No. I 91 

Jack and Jill. No. II 103 

Jack be Nimble 89 



160 



INDEX 



Little Pigs, The 



PAGE 
, 112 



Man in the Moon, The 63 

Motorman, The 57 

Old King Cole 71 

Pancake Man, The 31 

Pat-a-cake 114 

Peter Piper says Please 144 

Playing Train 36 

Puss, Puss, Grey Cat 132 

Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat 47 

Ride a Cock Horse 74 



PAGE 

See-Saw, No. I 53 

See-Saw, No, II 69 

Sing a Song of Sixpence 29 

Stork, The 51 

To Market 43 

Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star, No. I . . 78 

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, No. II . 126 

Two Little Blackbirds 110 

Walking on Stilts 57 

Yankee Doodle 86 



5. Action Plays suitable for five or more. 

Practically all the rhythms and games in the book may be used with groups comprising 
as small a number as five, with the possible exception of those Action Plays such as " I had 
a Little Nut Tree," "The Old Man in Leather" and "Peter Pan," which require concentric 
circles. 



VT. GAMES SUITABLE FOR CHILDRElSr^S PARTIES 



PAGE 

Bye Baby Bunting 147 

Dame, get up and Bake Your Pies . . 73 

Fairy Ship, The 136 

Humpty Dumpty 143 

Kewpies, The 23 

Leg over Leg (game) 90 

Little Boy Blue 138 

Little Miss Muffet 26 

Little Nut Tree, The 105 

Lucy Locket 28 



PAGE 

Mistress Mary 139 

Oh Where, Oh Where has my Little Dog 

gone? . 42 

Old Man in Leather, The 142 

Peter Piper says Please 144 

Poor Dog Bright 145 

Santa Claus and the Christmas Tree . . 40 

Simple Simon 140 

Sing a Song of Sixpence 29 

Spider and the Fly, The 138 

Wee Willie Winkie 27 



YII. ACTION PLAYS APPROPRIATE FOR CHRISTMAS 



PAGE 



Christmas Ships, The 

Dame, get up and Bake Your Pies 
Santa Claus and the Christmas Tree 



98 Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, No. I , 
Y3 Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, No. II 

40 



PAGE 

78 
126 



INDEX 161 

VIIL ACTION PLAYS APPROPRIATE FOR EASTER 



PAGE 



Humpty Dumpty 143 Blossoming Flowers 



PAGE 

149 



IX. ACTION PLATS APPROPIIIATE FOR PATRIOTIC 

OCCASIONS 



PAGE 



Tin Soldiers, The 33 Yankee Doodle 



PAGE 

86 



X. TOPICAL INDEX 



PAGE 

Accompaniment, The Musical, of Rhyth- 
mic Work 5 

Animal Movements, Imitations of 

Birds Flying 

Blossoming Flowers 149 

Sing a Song of Sixpence .... 29 

Stork, The 51 

Two Little Blackbirds 110 

Cat Running and Jumping 

Poor Dog Bright 145 

Puss, Puss, Grey Cat 132 

Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat 47 

Three Little Kittens 116 



Cat Washing Face 
Three Little Kittens 



116 



Dog Running and Jumping 

Bow-wow- wow 109 

Leg over Leg 90 

Oh Where, Oh \\'here has my 

Little Dog gone? 42 

Poor Dog Bright 145 

Elephant Walking 

Elephants' Dance, The .... 140 

Fireflies Flying 
Fireflies' Dance, The 82 

Goose Walking 
Goosey, Goosey, Gander .... 54 

Horse Pacing 
Yankee Doodle 86 

Mouse Running 

Hickorj', Dickory, Dock .... 44 

Pigs Running 
Little Pigs, The 138 



PAGE 



Rooster Strutting and Running 
Cock-a-doodle-doo 61 



Spider Crawling 
Little Miss Muffet . . 
Spider and the Fly, The 

Stork standing on one foot 
Stork, The 



26 
149 

51 



Arm Hook, (definition) 18 

Arousing and Holding the Attention . . 5 

Means of 5 

Attention, Arousing and Holding the . . 5 

Balance Step and Point Step 77 

Balance Step (definition) 18 

Beginning of the Rhythmic Lesson, The . 7 

How to plan a lesson 7 

A review to precede each new step . 8 

Boys and Girls as partners 5 

Breathing Exercises 8 

Suggestions for exercises correlated 

with themes of the Action Plays . . 8 
Suggestions for quieting a class by 

mental suggestions and concentration 9 

Circle, The 4 

How to organize 4 

Its uses and characteristics .... 4 

Clap, (definition) 17 

Class Organization 4 

Boys and girls as partners .... 5 

Circle. The 4 

Grouping in Couples 4 

Necessity of 4 

Straight Lines. The 4 

Commands and Descriptions, Teaching 
by Imitation and Dramatization in 

place of 5 



162 



INDEX 



PAGE 

Correlation of Action Plays and Dances 
with Arithmetic and counting 

Ba, Ba, Black Sheep 120 

Brownies and Fairies 100 

Christmas Ships, The 98 

Diddle, Diddle Dumpling ... 55 
Hickory, Dickory, Dock .... 44 
Hippity Hop to the Barber Shop . 75 

Little Pigs, The 138 

Playing Train 36 

Puss, Puss, Grey Cat 132 

Sing a Song of Sixpence .... 29 
Three Funny Old ]\Ien .... 49 
Three Little Kittens 116 

Home Life and Occupation 
Baking 
Dame, get up and Bake your Pies . 73 

Pancake Man, The 31 

Pat-a-cake 114 

Sing a Song of Sixpence .... 29 

Eating 

Little Miss Muffet 26 

Man in the Moon, The .... 63 

Sing a Song of Sixpence .... 29 

Three Little Kittens 116 

Going to bed and sleeping 

Blossoming Flowers 149 

Brownies and Fairies 100 

Bye Baby Bunting 147 

Dame, get up and Bake your Pies 73 

Diddle, Diddle Dumpling ... 55 

Goosey, Goosey, Gander .... 54 

Hush-a-bye Baby 68 

Little Boy Blue 138 

Wee Willie Winkie 27 

Washing and Ironing and Hanging 

out Clothes 
Sing a Song of Sixpence .... 29 
Three Little Kittens 116 

Industrial Life 

Christmas Ships, The 98 

Motorman, The 57 

Pancake Man, The 31 

Playing Train 36 

To Market 43 

Nature Study 
Flowers 
Blossoming Flowers 149 



PAGE 

Come, My Dolly 79 

Fairies' Moonlight Dance, The . 84 

Moon, The 

Brownies and Fairies 100 

Fairies' Moonlight Dance, The . . 84 

Girls and Boys, come out to play . 129 

Hey Diddle, Diddle 144 

Man in the Moon, The .... 63 

Rain 
Blossoming Flowers 149 

Snow 

Blossoming Flowers 149 

Santa Claus and the Christmas 
Tree 40 

Stars, The 
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, 

No. I 78 

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, 
No. II 126 

Sun, The 
Blossoming Flowers 149 

Trees, The 

Brownies and Fairies 100 

Come, My Dolly 79 

Little Nut Tree, The 105 

Santa [ Claus and the Christmas 
Tree .' 40 

Wind, The 

Blossoming Flowers 149 

Hush-a-bye Baby 68 

Three Funny Old Men .... 49 

Story Telling and Literature 

Brownies and Fairies 100 

Elephants' Dance, The .... 140 
Fairies' Moonlight Dance, The . 84 

Kewpies, The 23 

Peter Pan 45 

Santa Claus and the Christmas 

Tree 40 

Couple Dances and other Action Plays in 
which the Formation is composed of 

several small groups 107 

Course of Study, General Plan of the 

Games and Dances as a 1 

Curtsy (definition) 17 

Dances, Games and, as a Course of 
Study, General Plan of 1 



INDEX 



163 



PAGE 

Descriptions, Commands and, Teaching 
by Imitation and Dramatization in 

place of 5 

Double Circle, (definition) 20 

Double Circle, Facing in Line of Direction 21 
Dramatization, Imitation and. Teaching 
by in place of Commands and Descrip- 
tions 5 

Ending of the Lesson, The 8 

End lesson with pleasant taste . . 8 

How to quiet class at end of lesson . 8 

Enjoyment, Pleasure and, The Import- 
ance of in Rhythmic Work .... 3 

Finger Shake, (definition) 17 

General Plan of the Games and Dances 

as a Course of Study 1 

Elements desirable to incorporate in 1 

Glossary 17 

Grouping in Couples 4 

Advantages and uses of 4 

High Knee Bending, (definition) ... 18 

Hippity Hops, Skips and Jigs .... 67 

History of Rhythmic Action, The ... 10 

Holding, Arousing and, the Attention . 5 

Hop Waltz 92 

Hop Waltz, (definition) 18 

Imitation and Dramatization, Teaching 
by, in place of commands and Descrip- 
tions 5 

Importance of Pleasure and Enjoyment 

in Rhythmic Work, The 3 

In Line of Direction, (definition) ... 19 

In Place, (definition) 18 

Inside Hands and Feet, (definition) . . 19 

Inside Partner, (definition) 19 

Jumping, (definition) 18 

Key to the Description of the Action 

Plays 22 

Knee, Hip and Ankle Action 51 

Kneeling, (definition) 17 

Lesson, The 7 

Lesson, The beginning of the Rhythmic . 7 

Lesson, The Ending of the 8 

Miscellaneous Action Plays 135 

Mother Goose, Themes other than ... 2 



PAGE 

Mother Goose 1 

Why suitable as themes for Action 

Plays 1 

Music, The 2 

Choice of for the Action Plays ... 2 

Necessary characteristics of ... 2 
Musical Accompaniment of Rhythmic 

Work, The 6 

Directions to accompanist .... 6 

How to .study the accompaniment . 6 

Importance of 6 

Words to, not to be always sung by 

class 6 

Neighbor, (definition) 19 

Outside Hands and Feet, (definition) . . 19 

Outside Partner, (definition) 19 

Plan of presenting a Song Play, The . . 13 
Pleasure and Enjoyment in Rhythmic 

Work, The Importance of 3 

Point Step, (definition) 18 

Progressions, The 10 

Basic elements of the dance ... 10 
Plan of the Progressions of the 

Book, The 11 

Progressions used in book follow his- 
torical evolution of dancing ... 10 
Progressive order of arranging the Action 
Plays 10 

Relation of Singing to the Play of Small 

Children, The 2 

Rhythmic Action Plays and Dances ar- 
ranged progressively for teaching . . 15 

Rhythmic Lesson, The beginning of the . 5 

Rhythmic Work, The Importance of 

Pleasure and Enjoyment in ... . 3 

Rhythmic Work, The Musical Accom- 
paniment of 5 

Singing, The Relation of, to the Play of 

Small Children 2 

Single Circle, Facing Inward, (definition) 20 

Single Circle. Partners Facing, (definition) 20 

Sliding 35 

Sliding with alternate use of the feet . , 96 

Song Play, The Plan of presenting a . . 13 

Stamp, (definition) 18 

Step Hop 85 

Straight Line 4 

How to evolve from circle .... 4 

Its uses 4 



164 INDEX 

PAGE 

Teaching by Imitation and Dramati- Teaching of Rhythmic Work, The 

zation in place of Commands and De- Themes other than Mother Goose 

scriptions 5 

Words of Action Play take place of Use of the Voice, The .... 

names of steps, commands and Importance of proper use of 

descriptions 5 

Teaching of the Action Plays .... 11 Voice, The Use of 

Stages in acquiring motor-skill . .11 

Teaching must be based on a knowl- Walking, Marching and Running 

edge of physical and mental devel- Wring the Dish Rag, (definition) 

opment 11 



PAGE 

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